Of Past Regrets And Future Fears
by One Lucky Unicorn
Summary: Sequel to "Knight Errand". After returning to Knothole, Antoine struggles to reconcile his differences with the other Freedom Fighters. But as relationships begin to evolve in surprising ways, our heroes are menaced by a threat hiding among them. {Cover courtesy of Fox the Writer!}
1. One Summer Night

**Of Past Regrets And Future Fears**

 **Author's notes:** While I've tried making Past Regrets easy for anybody to follow, I would still advise you to read Knight Errand first in order to gain a better understanding of everything that'll occur in here. I will also give out the same warning that I gave at the beginning of that particular story for this one: if you dislike Antoine to the point where you're going to leave me reviews griping about how much you hate him, then you don't even need to be reading Past Regrets.

This is _not_ going to be your typical _Sonic_ fanfic, especially in regards to how I perceive the characters, their behavior, and interrelations. A number of them will be taken out of their comfort zones. So if you didn't like the ideas and opinions presented in Knight Errand, then in all likelihood you're probably not going to like this story either. Don't say you weren't warned. Everyone else, please enjoy. Also, if you're interested, follow my blog for story notes and the like.

Many thanks to the talented Cakeless Pixels for beta-reading this for me. One more thing of note - since the passing of Christine Cavanaugh, Bunnie Rabbot's voice actress in _Sonic SatAM_ , on December 22, 2014, I thought I'd dedicate this story to her for helping bring a character with such fantastic potential to life.

 **Chapter One:** **One Summer Night**

Walking slowly through the Great Forest, Antoine yawned widely in the cool of the early morning air. He was still sleepy, and wondered why Stormblaze had requested he rise so early. The other Knothole Freedom Fighters were still dozing inside their cozy huts (except for the dragon Dulcy, who spent her nights roosting in a tree) back in Knothole Village, and Antoine was longing for his own bed.

Antoine hadn't had much time to prepare breakfast for himself, as was his usual morning custom, so he had settled for grabbing a granola bar and an apple on the way out. Not the rich fare he was used to eating, but it'd have to do. The coydog blinked and ducked his head, not liking how the gold rays of sunlight shining through the trees struck him squarely in his face.

While those who knew him were used to seeing Antoine in his blue military jacket, with its distinctive gold and crimson points, after returning from his grand quest across the Great Continent and beyond with Stormblaze Oakrune, he'd taken to wearing a simple cream-colored long-sleeved tunic and a brown leather sword belt for his sabre. Today though, he was carrying a heavy wooden practice sword, or waster, with him instead. The military jacket, which had once belonged to Antoine's distinguished father General Armand D'Coolette, was back at Antoine's hut, safely stored inside a glass case which hung on the wall beside the portrait of his mother and father, where he could always see both. After the conclusion of his and Stormblaze's search for a set of powerful magical artifacts, the Deep Power Stones, he had made the choice to stop wearing it and keep it as an heirloom instead, not wishing to risk irreparably damaging it. The uniform was one of the few physical objects he had left to remember his missing father by. His decision to stop wearing it was also the result of wanting to become his own person instead of just a carbon copy of his father.

Wishing to assist his new friend and with no real place of his own to go, Stormblaze had accompanied Antoine back to Northhamer and the Kingdom of Acorn. His new quarters were at Tanforan Falls, which was located a fair distance from Knothole, but Antoine didn't mind, especially now that he was finally shaking off the last vestiges of sleepiness. The walk was worth it, and the forest was gorgeous to behold in its summer splendor. The plant life and woodland animals basked in the warm glory of the rising sun as they went about their lives. Along the way, Antoine consumed his granola bar and then started on the apple. Whatever it was that Stormblaze was going to have him doing today, no doubt it would require him to be at his best, and that meant getting something in his belly. After more than half an hour's walk, he heard the waterfall well before he actually saw it, and knew he was near.

When the falls finally came into view, Antoine paused to take everything in. From atop a vertical cliff wall in front of him, a white ribbon of water plunged through the air, roaring like some mighty beast. It was collected in a wide but fairly shallow basin at the foot of the cliff. Sunlight reflected from off the pool's surface, throwing dancing streamers of shimmering white light onto the beige cliff walls. A fish leapt out of the water to snap at an insect flying overhead, its deep green scales glistening wetly in the light. Its gambit successful, the fish landed back in its watery abode with a loud smack.

To top off the fairy tale-esque scene, standing up on the cliff was none other than Stormblaze himself. Poised against the pristine blue sky, the dark blue-gray unicorn was staring at the horizon, towards the far reaches of the dark green wooded landscape, his expression one of utmost seriousness. The breeze whipped his black mane and tail-tuft and rustled the dark forest green tunic he was dressed in. The snow-white blaze that streaked down the length of Stormblaze's face and partly served as his namesake was noticeable even to Antoine from where he stood. The marking stood out vividly against the darkness of his fur.

For a moment Antoine just remained where he was, quietly admiring him. These days he sometimes found himself wishing he could be a unicorn himself. Perhaps then the other Freedom Fighters would like him better than they did. After all, they had been just as awed in Stormblaze's presence as Antoine himself had been when the two of them first met and Stormblaze revealed he was a unicorn.

Snapping from out of his daydream, Antoine waved up at him. "Stormblaze!"

Stormblaze turned his head in his direction. Then, using the rocks that jutted out from the cliff face and indentations in the cliff side as footholds, he descended to the ground as fleetly and sure-footedly as a mountain goat. "Well, I trust you're ready to work today?" He asked as he approached Antoine.

"I have been working every day of coming here." Antoine honestly answered. It was true. As Stormblaze had not wished to stay in Knothole, he needed somewhere else to live. Antoine was rather proud of the fact that he had found the perfect place for him right there in the Great Forest. There was a large cavern hidden behind the waterfall. Ages ago, another unicorn named Snowfire had made her home right there at Tanforan. While she had been a much-honored member of the royal court of then-ruler Queen Astoria of the House of Sandlin, Snowfire preferred the relative peace and quiet of nature when not needed at the castle. Antoine had spent several days helping Stormblaze clean out the cave and make it suitable for habitation again. Even though Stormblaze now had a waterfall for a next-door neighbor, he'd expressed his appreciation for Tanforan's natural beauty as well as Antoine for bringing him there in the first place. The area possessed a genuine sense of tranquility and seclusion. Stormblaze would be safe from Robotnik as well.

Smiling enigmatically, Stormblaze held up an index finger. "Ah, but this will be an entirely different sort of work from sweeping and dusting. Come, have a look."

Intrigued, Antoine followed as Stormblaze led him into the forest, a little ways away from the falls. In a clearing there, half of a log had been suspended from the sturdy branch of tree with a chain. Going up to the log, Stormblaze rapped it with a knuckle. "I told you I was going to make you a pell. Eighty whacks on this every day will build your strength and endurance, I reckon."

"Only eighty? Are you feeling well?"

Stormblaze fixed his pupil with an apparent look of disapproval. "Care to make it a hundred then, my wise-aleck little friend?"

Cheerfully grinning, Antoine replied, "That would be impossible. My arms would fall off!" He raised the waster into the air before his countenance became serious once more. "So when can I be starting?" He actually remembered little of pell training other than the fact that the sword combat instructors at the La Valette Military Academy would have students practice on them, but it didn't exactly take a genius to figure out that the object was to strike the pell with your waster.

"Right now. Mind, start off slow just to get used to it. And strike with intent. Act as though you're actually hitting your enemy."

Nodding, Antoine rolled up his sleeves before raising his waster again and getting to it. Even though training like this was hard work, he was glad to have been granted an opportunity to improve his lackluster sword fighting skills in order to help himself and others. While his swordsmanship had become a tad better then what it was prior to his meeting Stormblaze, a skilled fighter like the unicorn could still easily defeat Antoine.

The forest resounded again and again with the monotonous sound of Antoine's waster as he kept striking at the pell. Not exactly the most engaging or glamorous training exercise there was, but if Stormblaze said it was going to help him, he trusted his word. After his fiftieth hit, Antoine was feeling winded, and his arms were beginning to tire. Stormblaze told him he could stop after the seventieth hit, much to his relief.

While Antoine was preoccupied, Stormblaze took the liberty of preparing a very basic breakfast for them both consisting of bread, raspberry jam, fried mushrooms, slices of tomato, assorted fruits, and cheese. Some of the food as well as the cooking supplies he had actually received from Knothole courtesy of Antoine and Rosie, Antoine and his teammates' old guardian. Stormblaze invited Antoine to come sit down by a big, broad, flat rock near the basin which he used as a makeshift table, and they ate and talked together.

"Rosie is holding a celebration in your honor later this day, and is wanting you to attend." Antoine informed Stormblaze at one point.

"A celebration? What did I do?" Stormblaze asked, baffled.

"You are the first unicorn to have set foot in Northamer in well over two hundred years."

"Hmm. Well it's a bit much I think, but one can't turn down free food, now can they?"

" _Oui_ , I am imagining how hard the prospect of getting to eat lots of delicious food must be for you." Antoine dryly commented before remembering something else. "Oh, some guests are coming to meet you too."

Stormblaze frowned. "Why? Are these guests aware that I am a unicorn?"

"I am not certain. Sally knows them. One of them is a stranger to _moi_ , and I have not been around the others much. When I was I… well, behaving like I did when you and I were first meeting. So they probably think I am a big joke." His drooping ears perfectly conveyed what he was feeling just then – there were so many mistakes he had made in the past that he wished he could go back in time and fix.

"Well, why not become reacquainted with them tonight, show them the new you?"

Antoine regarded him . "I suppose I could…" He didn't want to get his hopes _too_ high for the evening, but wondered if it would possible for him to try befriending some of them. One could never have too many friends, right? He had been learning how to become a better conversationalist by not making everything all about him and being a good listener. Would they like the new him?

Finishing off the last few morsels on his plate, Stormblaze then sighed in satisfaction. Antoine was still eating. Stormblaze marveled at what a fastidious and careful eater he was, though he knew that he was enjoying it. He decided to wait until Antoine was through before starting yet another conversation. There was an important issue that they still had not yet breached, even though he knew it was something Antoine had been trying to tiptoe around all day. When there was nothing but a scant few crumbs left on Antoine's plate, Stormblaze struck before the coydog could utter a single word. "Well? Have you spoken to any of them yet?"

The "them" he referred to were the other Knothole Freedom Fighters. While Antoine had always known that relations between he and them had been steadily deteriorating over the years, he hadn't been aware of how bad it truly was or of his own role in it until a stopover with the Wolf Pack during the quest. When Antoine had secretly ventured off with Seff and Luna, Lupe's niece and nephew, the Skinwalker, a malicious shapechanging shaman, had attempted to trap him by posing in succession as Princess Sally Acorn, Sonic, and Rotor, showing him disturbing visions, and wearing him down emotionally. While it'd all been a ploy by the Skinwalker to actually kill and eat him, what Antoine had seen still rocked him to his very core even now. He very nearly hadn't returned to Knothole until speaking to Stormblaze and Cassiopeia, the queen of the group of unicorns living on Avalonia, had made him change his mind. The latter was in fact the one who'd convinced him to attempt apologizing to Sonic and the others for his previous behavior as well as forgive them for how they treated him. also, Antoine had decided that he didn't want to leave (if things did indeed end up coming to that) without telling Bunnie, Tails, and Rosie, the only three individuals in Knothole he felt he was still on genuinely good terms with, goodbye first.

Antoine shifted his gaze off to the side. "Well…"

Before he even finished his sentence Stormblaze already knew what his answer was. "Things may turn disastrous if you drag this situation out, Little Wolf."

A miserable-looking Antoine nodded. "I know, I know. But… it is just that I am being so nervous to confront them. Who wants to hear other Mobians tell them how much they are hating them? What if it doesn't work?"

"I understand the prospect of speaking to them is daunting, but doing so is better than just lurking around and leaving things the way they were before."

His formerly ebullient mood now dampened, Antoine didn't say a word. Instead, he just stared at the ground, slowly tracing patterns in the dirt with his waster. No, things could not continue on the way they had before his life-changing journey – it had been a stagnant, soul-crushingly wretched existence - but he could only see a confrontation with Sonic ending in a fight, and he wasn't sure if Sally or Rotor would even bother to hear him out.

Stormblaze thought for a moment. "Tell you what. Speak to me as though I am Sonic." He gestured to himself. "Apologize, then say you forgive me."

Antoine's intrigued azure eyes regarded Stormblaze's calm gray ones. "You will be pretending to be Sonic?"

"Don't think I can pull it off? He's not exactly a deep fellow you know."

Antoine shrugged. "Alright." He could follow Stormblaze's logic. Talking to him was certainly much easier then it was talking to Sonic. Oh, but he couldn't think like that – Stormblaze _was_ supposed to be Sonic just then.

"What do you want, Ant?" Stormblaze asked, unsuccessfully trying to drop his British accent and sound flatter.

"Sonic, I, er, know that we are having our differential -"

An in-character Stormblaze rolled his eyes. "You mean _differences_."

"Oh! Uh, differences…"

"More confidence." Stormblaze mouthed.

Antoine nodded to himself. Right. Sonic might respect him more if he showed more self-assurance. But how was he supposed to be confident with his poor English? Taking a deep breath, he decided to start over again. "Sonic, I know we do not get along very well. But I am wishing to apologize for how I was behaving before. I was a very foolish person then. And I would like to forget – no, be forgiving you for how you have treated me."

Stormblaze began clapping. "And that's all you have to do." He told Antoine in his normal voice.

"But say he is not listening to _moi_? What should I do?"

"Walk away. You did your part, so you do not need to stand there tolerating his rudeness. And if you do not know how to say a certain word, then do not use it. Think of a different way to express yourself that is easier for you."

Even though he was still uneasy at the prospect of the task that lay before him, Antoine could feel his spirits lifting some. But then again, speaking with Stormblaze usually tended to make him feel better. He was wise and had a way of reassuring the normally anxious Antoine. Antoine pushed himself to his feet. "Thank you, Stormblaze. If I can, I will try speaking to them after the luncheon today. Speaking of which, I must get back and help Rosie."

Stormblaze simply waved him off before adding, "One more thing - if you find yourself feeling too tired to talk tonight, then wait until later when you're more refreshed and alert. No use in trying to hold a serious conversation when you are dead on your feet - tired." He added for Antoine's benefit. Stormblaze had been helping him gain a better grasp of English, and that included things like expressions and idioms. So far, it seemed to be working.

"Everything should be finished by 5:00," Antoine said before preparing to depart. "I can be returning later to get you, if you wish?"

Stormblaze nodded. "Alright. Don't suppose you need any extra help with anything?"

" _Non_. You are the guest of honor. Rosie would want you to... how do you say? Be taking it easy."

* * *

Back in Knothole, Antoine went to work assisting Rosie in her culinary endeavors. Sally and Bunnie helped them out wherever they could, though as neither girl was nearly as enthusiastic about cooking as Antoine was (Sally especially), the pair spent most of their time readying the rest of the village for the luncheon instead. A couple of the other Freedom Fighters, namely a certain Eurasian hedgehog, had been less then inclined to pitch in with the preparations after learning who it was all for, but Rosie, Bunnie, and Sally convinced them to lend a hand (though Sonic only did so after being promised a platter of chill dogs in turn later).

The luncheon was to be held in the same treeless area near the hideaway stump Dulcy would use as an airstrip. It was big enough to accommodate all of the Knotholers and their guests, in addition to offering an especially scenic view of the forest.

When the time came, Antoine left to fetch Stormblaze. Upon returning, they found Rosie waiting for them. The old woodchuck had decided to forgo her usual simple blue dress and red cloak for more formal wear – an ankle-length dress in shades of blue and azure, with long white sleeves accented by red puffed sleeves. Her ash-grey headfur, which gleamed silver in the sunlight, had been pinned up in its customary bun with a hairpin featuring her namesake, a red rose.

Stormblaze glanced around at their surroundings. Knothole had been fancied up since the last time he'd seen it – well, fancied up about as much as one could gussy up a village out in the middle of a huge forest. A veritable rainbow of paper lanterns and streamers that were blue and red, the official Acorn colors, had been strung from the trees around them. Beds of brightly-colored flowers seemed to stand at attention. "Miss, um…"

"MacCoshin. Rosie if you like." A big smile adorned her timeworn but kindly face. Although she and Stormblaze had been introduced before, one could easily tell that she was well and truly delighted by him even now. After all, as a kit, Rosie had been brought up on stories of stately unicorns performing acts of charity and watching over the land.

"Miss MacCoshin… er, Rosie, I truly appreciate the effort you and the other villagers have put into all of this, but I don't think it was really necessary…"

"Oh no, it's no trouble at all sir, really!" Rosie reassured him in her pleasant Scottish burr. "It's so rare for us to have a distinguished guest such as yourself here."

Stormblaze smiled affably. "Please milady, my father is sir. You may call me Stormblaze - if you so wish." By then he had noticed the table, which was loaded with food, only several feet away.

"Thank you." Rosie ducked her head, smiling bashfully. "Antoine and the others helped put everything together."

"Well, it all smells and looks wonderful."

"Hello again, Stormblaze." The youthful voice of Sally cheerfully greeted as she came over to where he, Rosie, and Antoine were all standing together, followed by five other unfamiliar Mobians. "I hope you're enjoying the Great Forest. Listen, I'd like for you to meet some friends of mine's."

Stormblaze only just barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He was still not keen on meeting these friends of Sally's. As for the girl herself, Antoine's accounts about Sally had failed to earn her Stormblaze's respect. Having met her for the first time a few days ago, he did indeed find her grating. To him, she was exactly like what he had predicated: obliviously entitled and imperious. But he decided to be polite that day for Rosie's sake. Even though he still felt it was all too much, the luncheon was her idea, and he bore the older lady no ill will. Readying himself, he turned his attention to the strangers standing together in a row behind Sally.

One of them was a royal purple-furred platypus wearing a utility belt around her torso similar to the manner in which Rotor the walrus wore his tool belt, but she had the addition of a brown leather utility belt. Then there was a brown porcupine who wore blue and white sneakers and matching gloves, a pig in a blue vest and utility belt, a nine-banded armadillo who had a yellow-orange and white paisley bandanna tied around his neck, and lastly, a tall light brown bloodhound garbed in a tan short-sleeved button-down shirt and matching pants. Conan was quite obviously an adult, while the others seemed considerably younger, quite possibly as young as Sonic was.

Sally went down the line, introducing each of them as she did. "This is Penelope, Dylan, Hamlin, Arlo, and Conan."

"Hello. 'Tis a pleasure." Stormblaze politely bowed his head in their direction.

"Likewise, Mr. Oakrune." Penelope, the platypus, smiled and mirrored his gesture.

"Stormblaze is just fine."

"Penelope, Dylan, Hamlin, and Arlo are Freedom Fighters I've personally collected from nearby villages. And Conan's part of our spy network in Robotropolis." Sally explained. "When I told them about you, they just had to meet you in person!"

"My great-great-great-great grandmother's best friend's brother knew a blue jay who met a unicorn who had him deliver a message to his cousin in Summervale!" Dylan excitedly told Stormblaze.

"Really? How fascinating..." Managing to discreetly catch Antoine's eye, Stormblaze quickly sent him a look which was clearly recognizable as "get me out of here."

Antoine began thinking hard. How could he help Stormblaze? Antoine had just bought him there, so it might appear strange to hustle him away again, to say nothing of upsetting those who'd come all that way to meet him. Perhaps he could tell Sally's guests that Stormblaze wasn't comfortable with all the attention and needed his space.

Mercifully, it was good old Rosie who swooped in to the rescue. "Why don't all you young people come make yourselves comfortable? The food's going to get cold."

Stormblaze jumped on her offer immediately. "Splendid idea, milady." Without waiting for the others, he headed straight for the table. Antoine had to power walk just to keep up.

Most of the other Knotholers were already there and ready to eat, though courtesy kept them from touching anything before everyone else was seated. Sonic though had his chin resting on one hand, while the fingers on his left tapped the tabletop impatiently as he regarded Stormblaze with a combination of boredom and irritation. Unlike Rosie and most of the others there, Sonic was hardly a fan of Stormblaze's, owing to their rocky first encounter.

Once Rosie sat down and made herself comfortable at the head of the table, she asked who wanted to say grace before they began. Conan obliged her, and after he was through, everyone dug in. Undeterred by the presence of company, Stormblaze heartily ate enough to rival Sonic and Rotor; the former especially was known for his big appetite. After all, in order to sustain his incredibly fast metabolism and be able to run as fast as he could, Sonic needed to consume a lot of calories.

To Antoine's surprise, their guests seemed to be as eager to speak to him as they were Stormblaze. That was certainly quite a change of pace from their previous interactions. At first he was a little nervous speaking to them, worried about making a good impression, but answered all their questions and comments without any bragging or gloating on his part. He noticed that Penelope, Dylan, Hamlin, and Arlo did seem to respond differently to him then they previously might've. Their surprised reactions to his change in character were somewhat noticeable, Dylan and Hamlin's especially, but they responded to his politeness and openness in kind. Antoine didn't know Conan at all, but thought he seemed a decent enough fellow. He was rather charismatic, and made for an interesting conversationalist. The only thing Antoine didn't cover and had no intentions of doing so was his encounter in his tale with the Skinwalker. That was an extremely personal experience.

"Antoine, I heard you actually met the queen of the unicorns. What was she like?" Hamlin asked at one point.

"Queen Cassiopeia. She is very beautiful. Her fur is the color of gold, and her mane very fair. She has eyes that are being the color of spring violets. She was very gracious and elegant, like _mademoiselle_ Lupe." Antoine couldn't help smiling a little as he recalled the palomino doe. Out of all the Avalonian unicorns, she and Stormblaze's mother Charis had left the deepest impressions on him with their serenity, kindness, and sensible natures.

"Wow. Just think, there's a whole island of unicorns out there!" Dylan exclaimed, looking around at his cohorts with wide-eyed excitement. "Can you guys believe it? I can't!"

"It almost sounds like a fairy tale." Conan commented offhandedly. Dylan's behavior had him smiling in amusement.

"Yes, only this fairy tale is quite real, as you can see for yourself." Stormblaze gestured to himself. He seemed to be slowly but surely unwinding, speaking more freely with Penelope and her friends as well with Bunnie, Rosie, Tails, and of course Antoine. On the other hand, he didn't have much to say to anyone else there - not that he really wanted to though. His opinions of them were about as positive as they were of Sally.

Although Sonic was making a big show of acting as if he didn't care that Antoine and Stormblaze were the center of attention, shoveling the chili dogs which had been pledged to him earlier into his mouth at a rapid pace, Antoine could still tell that he wasn't enjoying it. Sonic wasn't one for subtlety, and even Antoine could read his body language and expressions. Every now and then, Sonic would either quietly scoff or roll his eyes whenever Penelope or someone else questioned them about or remarked on something related to either one of them. It was much harder for Antoine to tell what the other Knotholers were thinking. If they disliked Stormblaze and Antoine being the men of the hour (so to speak), then they weren't showing it.

It was when Sally posed one particular question to Stormblaze that things took a turn for the uncomfortable. "So, when can we expect the rest of your glory to come join you?"

Stormblaze ceased eating and glanced over at her. "Beg pardon?"

The hybrid squirrel was looking directly at him. "The other unicorns. They _are_ coming to help us fight Robotnik, right?"

All eyes were on Stormblaze.

Hiding his displeasure at being put on the spot like that, Stormblaze answered, "I do not know where you have gotten that idea from, but no other unicorns are coming. At least not anytime soon. I am the only one who has ever left Avalonia."

"How come?" Tails asked before anybody else could.

"Because…" Briefly, Stormblaze met Antoine's eyes. "The others still worry Hunters lurk about. And they are unsure about becoming involved with a war they feel is not their problem."

His admission served to effectively stun everyone. Well, almost everyone.

The sudden shift in the conversation served to animate Sonic. "Huh. These unicorns sound like a real bunch of snobs. Shocking." He said, eyeballing Stormblaze. Obviously he still had hard feelings towards Stormblaze for having humiliated him in front of the other Knotholers previously.

That time, Stormblaze didn't take the bait. He'd save arguing with Sonic for a better time.

"The unicorns said that?" Hamlin demanded.

"More or less." Stormblaze bluntly admitted.

Not willing to let Rosie's luncheon go south and leave everyone with the impression that all the Avalonian unicorns were apathetic isolationists, Antoine quickly ran interference. "But Queen Cassiopeia was telling _moi_ she must be speaking to the bards and the elders first to convince them to leave Avalonia and help fight Robotnik. She wants to help us."

His statement seemed to relieve the others - somewhat.

"Well, least this here queen sounds reasonable." Bunnie pointed out. "Ya'll think she'd wanna to get together and talk?"

"I don't see why not." Stormblaze replied. "You would have to go to her though, of course."

"Wait. If she's so willing to help, then why doesn't she come to see us?" Rotor asked, addressing Stormblaze for the first time since the luncheon started.

Stormblaze started to deliver a scathing reply – did Rotor honestly believe that a bunch of xenophobes would just allow their queen to journey beyond their kingdom? – but he caught himself in time and smiled thinly at him instead. "Not afraid of a little voyage now, are we?"

Bunnie turned to the walrus. "Come on sug, I think it sounds excitin'!"

"Maybe..." He replied, not sounding especially enthusiastic. "Someone should stay here and keep an eye on things."

While Sonic was also looking like he'd rather pluck out his own spikes then go see Queen Cassiopeia, Tails put on what he believed was his most winning smile and aimed it Sally's way. "Can I please come, Aunt Sally? I promise not to get in the way!"

Sally smiled at the red fox in return. "Tell you what. We'll see what happens when the time comes for us to go, okay?"

"Sally, if you don't need us to remain behind, we'd like to accompany you as well." Penelope said, briefly glancing over at Arlo, Dylan, and Hamlin.

"Yeah! You might need some extra force." Hamlin added, earning unimpressed looks from Penelope and Sally both. "What? _He's_ the one who said that most of the unicorns don't care about what happens to the rest of Mobius." He pointed at Stormblaze. "What if they're not friendly towards outsiders?"

"This is supposed to be a diplomatic mission, remember?" Sally pointed out. "I would hope that things don't turn hostile, especially since we're not going there armed or anything."

"I'm more worried about being bored to death by a bunch of stuck-up old unicorns." Sonic mumbled under his breath.

"Oh, stuck-up unicorns bore me too!" Stormblaze grinned toothily at him, though it looked more like he was baring his teeth.

Sonic just stared at him before shaking his head, frowning. "… You're weird, man."

"Is that why you decided to leave your island, Stormblaze?" Conan asked. "Because of the other unicorns?"

Stormblaze, who was wearing a smug smirk on his face at having provoked such a reaction in his nemesis, turned to Conan. "I needed a change of scenery. I found I like the outside world so much that I chose to stay."

"You know, if I was a unicorn, I'd never leave an island paradise!" That was Dulcy. Due to her great size, she'd been given her own table adjacent to the one everyone else was at. "I'd play all day, and run through the meadows, and watch the stars at night!"

Antoine glanced at Stormblaze to see if he had any reaction to what she'd just said. Dulcy sometimes had an aggravating tendency to blurt things out without really thinking, but she and the others didn't have any clue of what Stormblaze's life had been like on Avalonia. He supposed one could not be too irritated with her.

Stormblaze took a long draft of iced tea before setting his glass back down. "Living a life free of responsibility is all well and good for some creatures, but I aspire to more than merely idling away the days on a rock out in the middle of the ocean. I have places to go and important things to do."

* * *

Still sitting at the table, Antoine glanced around. The sun had finally set, leaving them with a clear evening sky and pleasantly warm temperatures. After the wonderful meal, everybody else had drifted off into small groups or pairs, speaking with friends or otherwise entertaining one another. Stormblaze had privately wished him luck. Antoine cast a glance over at his mentor. He and Rosie were sitting together off to one side talking. Stormblaze held a glass of punch in one hand. Meeting Antoine's eyes, he inclined his head to him before slightly raising his cup in his direction.

Now was Antoine's chance. He could do this. In spite of his efforts to muster up his courage, he wasn't eager to approach any of the others, especially while they were together as a group. For one thing, he didn't feel comfortable bearing himself in front of a small audience, and it was all too easy for him to envision Sonic and Rotor ganging up on him and talking over him. He was uncertain as to what would happen if he tried speaking to Sally and Bunnie when it was just the two of them. It was largely the reason why he had stayed to himself since coming back to Knothole.

Movement captured his eye, and he turned his head to see what it was. It turned out to be Sally. Antoine made to approach her, but before he could stand she made a beeline right for Stormblaze. Ears wilting in disappointment, he slumped back down in his chair. Great. Sally had been really insistent on getting Stormblaze's ear. He recalled her confused reaction when he told her that Stormblaze wanted to live on his own while in Northamer. Antoine had decided to omit the real reason why Stormblaze had no desire to live among the Knotholers. He may not have been as captivated by Sally as he once was, but it still would've been awkward, not to mention rather impolite on his part, to just come out and say that Stormblaze disliked her and the others. He felt it was up to Stormblaze as to whether or not he wanted to tell Sally how he felt about her.

Perhaps Sonic then? Currently he was crowing about something or rather for a surprisingly small captive audience. Antoine thought back to Sonic's behavior during the luncheon. No, approaching him was out of the question. He wondered if he'd _ever_ get an opportunity to talk to the hedgehog. Sonic seemed to be the type of person who really clung to grudges.

The only other persons left on his list were Bunnie and Rotor. At the moment, Rotor was busy speaking to Arlo, though it seemed like Arlo was the one doing most of the talking and Rotor was just listening, as seemed to be the norm for the walrus. _'Well, beauty before the beast.'_ Antoine thought before setting his sights on Bunnie. She had just started to clear the table ( _'All by herself,'_ Antoine noted. ' _Why is no one else helping?'_ ). While lending her a helping hand, he could try broaching the subject to her.

Taking in a deep breath to steady his nerves, Antoine started towards the cottontail rabbit, who was standing further away from him, at the very end of the table. Her name was on the tip of his tongue…

"Can I talk to you, Antoine?"

Recognizing Penelope's voice, Antoine stopped and turned to see her coming his way. Feeling frustration arising within him, Antoine forced himself to civilly respond, "Yes, _mademoiselle_?"

"Do you think you could come to Sanctuary and tell the kids there about how you and Stormblaze found the Deep Power Stones? I'm sure they'd love to hear it."

Antoine had not been expecting that. "Are you really thinking so?" Sanctuary was a village which primarily functioned as both a home and safe house for orphaned children. Freedom Fighters who were serving in the field could also bring their children there for protection. Because of that, its location was a closely guarded secret among the Resistance.

"Oh, definitely!" Penelope nodded. "It's a remarkable story, and you know how kids are. Some new arrivals came in from Emerald Hill a few days ago, and they could really use something to lift their spirits."

Antoine nodded gravely. Memories of when he and the other children from the Acorns' palace had first set foot in Knothole after fleeing war-torn Mobotropolis, and their fear and confusion at having been unwillingly parted from their loved ones were still painfully clear as a deep cut to him. "I would love to!" He declared. He would gladly do his part to cheer up the transplanted children. "Just let me know what is being the best date to be doing so."

"Great! Give me a bit, and I'll get in touch with you so we can coordinate a good time for you to stop by."

"Very well then." While Penelope had turned out to be quite nice to speak with after all, and Antoine would have been lying if he said that he wasn't rather pleased to discover the reason why she wanted to talk to him, he had some important business to take care of at the moment. They could talk more later. "If you will please pardon me, _mademoiselle_? There is something I must be attending to."

"Oh, sure thing. See you around." She took off, but not before giving him a friendly little wave as she went.

Antoine dipped his head to her, then strode towards Bunnie. His discussion with Penelope had left him with a rather proud smile on his face. "May I be helping you with this, Bunnie?"

Glancing up at him from her work, she smiled. "I'd sure appreciate it, sugah. Thank you for bein' such a gentleman."

"You are most welcome." Antoine began making his way down the other side of the table opposite of Bunnie, stacking dirty plates as he went. At the same time, the gears in his brain were working overtime as he struggled to find the right words. "Uh, so… I have been doing very much thinking, and -"

"Sorry, don't supposed you could grab that bowl there for me? My hands are full."

"Oh, _oui_." Antoine obliged her, reach for a large salad bowl and setting it on top of the assembled plates. "So have you ever -"

"Best to get all this cleared away right now. Everyone's gonna be feelin' too tired and lazy to do it later." Bunnie continued. "You know how it is."

" _Oui_ , and - er, since we are speaking of everyone, I just…"

"Hold that thought darlin'." She held up a finger, silencing hm. "I'll be right back." Gathering up a handful of plates and silverware, she hustled away with her load.

Watching her, Antoine then raised his head to the twilight sky and uttered the lightest of groans. Why wasn't anything going right for him? It was easier to talk with Penelope and her friends then it was the Knotholers. At least they listened to him.

Earlier, while Antoine and Penelope had been engaged in conversation, Sally thought she'd do the same with Stormblaze. Ever since he had shown up on the scene, Sally had started hunting down every single book she could locate in Knothole that either discussed or mentioned unicorns. While she had about the average Mobian's level of knowledge regarding their species (unicorns had not been one of her major areas of study, after all), she wanted to find out everything there was to know about them. With their miraculous powers, the unicorns, even just a single one, could potentially change the tide of the whole war. Their physical might allowed them to go toe-to-toe with Robotnik's robots. Injured and sick Freedom Fighters could be healed in the blink of an eye and return to duty. Unicorns would also be very helpful in territories that had unsafe water sources.

"Enjoying yourself?" She asked as she walked up alongside Stormblaze, who had arose to stretch his lean legs and keep a watchful eye on Antoine.

He gave her a passing glance, then went back to observing Antoine. "Yes, princess. Everything is enjoyable."

"Oh please, call me Sally. I insist!" She dismissed his formality with a wave of her hands before bringing a hand to her chest. "I'm a normal Mobian just like anyone else."

"I'm sure."

He said nothing further, but Sally was undaunted. "I think you'd be interested to know that another unicorn used to live right here in the Great Forest back in the tenth-hundredth century. Her name was Snowfire, and she was Queen Astoria's personal physician."

"Yes, Antoine has told me about her."

Sally's expression morphed into one of surprise. "He did?" She wasn't aware that Antoine even knew anything about unicorns. From what she recalled, he was still really into those old-fashioned tales about knights and things like that.

"Yes. While he was helping me get set up at the falls."

"Oh. Did he now?"

Stormblaze turned his head to give her a sidelong glance, one rough eyebrow raised. "Yes…"

Sally tried to laugh a little. "Wow, the two of you certainly have grown close."

"We have spent a great deal of time together on the road." Stormblaze replied, maintaining his disinterested tone and straight face.

"Well, speaking of being on the road, it sounds like you've done quite a bit of traveling. Have you ever come across any rumors of more unicorns hiding someplace? If so, then do you think they're isolationists like your glory?"

"I have not heard anything about other unicorns out there, sorry."

 _"Attentiiion, ladies and germs!"_

That _very_ familiar voice calling out over the gathering caused Stormblaze and Sally to turn as one to see what was happening.

Sonic stood posed atop a tree stump, looking for all the world like a showman with the manner he had his hands raised in the air. Everyone else, including a dismayed Antoine, stopped whatever it was that they were doing at the moment and turned curious eyes towards him.

Seeing that he was successful in commanding everybody's attention, Sonic grinned broadly. "Hey guys, thanks for coming out tonight! Listen up - I got a major announcement. I've been perfecting three totally _new_ speed tricks, and you lucky people are gonna get a sneak peek tonight before I bust 'em out on Buttnik!"

By then, Bunnie had returned to continue cleaning up, but was watching Sonic with everyone else. Clearing his throat in an effort to redirect her attention to him, Antoine tried to speak again. "Pardon Bunnie -"

"What if I heated things up by jumping the bonfire?" Sonic asked his captive audience, pointing at the fire that had been started earlier in order to provide the grounds with some extra light. A scattering of excited shouts and cheers of approval and was the response.

"Well, better go and get my first aid kit just in case." Shaking her head, Bunnie left again, this time heading for her hut.

For the second time that evening, Antoine found himself alone. As his disbelieving eyes followed Sonic, who had started bounding back and forth over the flames, using his speed to aid him and successively boost the height of his jumps higher and higher each time, his stare became a glare. _That_ was Sonic's big important announcement? He did stuff like that all the time! Honestly, if Antoine wasn't so attached to his lovely golden locks, then he would've ripped them out of his head right then and there. He had just gotten away from Penelope, only to have Sonic thwart his efforts to speak with Bunnie?

Antoine wasn't the only one irritated by Sonic's antics. "Oh, for the love of - _Sonic!_ " An exasperated Sally slapped her forehead before stamping over to where Sonic was busy showboating.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Stormblaze noiselessly slipped away. Antoine jumped when he seemed to emerge out of nowhere beside him. Glancing up at Stormblaze, Antoine gestured at Sonic and Sally and then looked back to him, an expression of utter frustration written on his face.

For his part, Stormblaze was expressionless as he regarded the bickering twosome for a moment. Then, he looked at Antoine and winked. He jerked his head to the left, then turned and walked off in that direction.

Getting the message, Antoine followed after him. When the raised voices back in Knothole were subdued and distant behind them, Stormblaze finally stopped and shut his eyes, craggy features serene. "Ah, peace and quiet. Now this is more like it."

"They do that just about every other day." Antoine grumped, glaring sullenly at the ground. "It never truly struck me how annoying it is until now."

"I can only imagine. Well, how did you fare in speaking to Bunnie?"

"Oh, you mean the talk I was never able to be having because I kept being interrupted?" Antoine snapped. "Oh, just wonderful!"

"What happened?"

"Penelope happened. I was finally excusing myself, but here Sonic is coming with his foolish announcement about absolutely nothing!" Antoine threw his hands into the air.

Not wanting Antoine to get himself worked up as he was wont to do, Stormblaze called upon his telempathy, mental abilities which allowed him to not only receive emotions from others but transmit them as well, and projected a brief calming wave Antoine's way. "That one was just starved for attention. Can you tell it bothered him that the focus was on us instead of him?"

"I noticed. That was why I did not try speaking to him. It is not taking much for that hedgehog to start a fight, especially when he is being in a bad mood."

"Clever thinking. At least his antics allowed me to escape the princess. She kept pestering me with questions about unicorns. It was terribly tedious." Stormblaze recalled the hint of jealousy that had emanated from Sally when Antoine's name had come up during their one-sided conversation. Now, whatever could she be envious of Antoine for? The unicorn had been under the steady impression that Antoine was completely insignificant to her. But he chose to keep his intriguing observation to himself - for the time being, anyways. "Speaking of which, is there any reason why she still retains the rank of princess? Since her entire family is… absent, shouldn't she go by Queen Sally now?"

Antoine had never thought about that before. "Who knows? Sometimes I am thinking she does not even want to be a princess. I certainly cannot imagine she will enjoy being queen."

Stormblaze made a rude noise in the back of his throat. "Well, if I'm no longer needed here, then I shall go wish Miss Rosie a good night and retire to Tanforan. You should turn in too. Try speaking to them again tomorrow."

" _Bien_ …" All of Antoine's aggravation was unexpectedly being replaced by a sense of tranquility. He felt like returning to his hut, curling up on the sofa, and putting on one of his classical jazz records. But it quickly occurred to him exactly _why_ he would be feeling that way for no clear reason, and annoyance punched through his cozy blanket of calm. "Stormblaze, did you do something to me?"

Stormblaze put on an innocent face. "Something like what?"

"Something like use your telempathy power to make _moi_ tired."

"Not tired, just calmer. You tend to become upset over little things." As he said the word "little", he pinched his right index and thumb fingers together.

Antoine's eyes were accusing as he stared at him. "I thought you said you were not using your powers in that way?"

"I don't use them in _harmful ways_. If I genuinely wished it, I could have Sonic practically relieving himself in terror, but I choose not to. It just wouldn't be sporting. My pacifying you isn't harmful. Do you believe that I would ever do anything malicious to you, Little Wolf?'

Antoine shook his head. For as long as he had been around Stormblaze, he'd never done anything that had given Antoine any cause for alarm. Yes, he had tricked him one time, but that had been done with the intent of teaching Antoine a lesson about bragging and embellishing things about himself in order to look good. Afterwards, Stormblaze had never played any kind of prank upon him again. It seemed like ages ago when that incident occurred. "Oh no, never! _Mon_ apologies. It is just that I have never been meeting someone who can do what you can. It is still taking me some time to get used to this." He knew Dulcy could tell when someone was telling the truth and when they weren't, but he'd never seen her use that particular power all that much. Sometimes he even forgot that she could even do it. "I suppose that I was, er, how you say, acting loony before. I was just very annoyed because it seemed like nothing was going right for _moi_ this evening."

Stormblaze nodded solemnly. "I could only imagine, what with having to put up with those Mobians for as long as you have."

" _Oui_. Also, I am not wishing to rely on your telempathy to make _moi_ feel better all the time."

"I would not want you to become dependent on it either. What do you make of this proposal then - if you do not want me using my telempathy on you, then I promise to cease doing so."

"Well… I suppose if I am getting too excited over little things as you say, then maybe you can use it to calm me down."

"Sounds like a reasonable arrangement to me."

He and Antoine shook on their agreement. As the both of them stood together, it dawned on Antoine that only the natural sounds of the forest – the insects and other wildlife – were discernible now, not arguing. Just to make absolutely certain, he turned an ear towards Knothole. "Well, it is sounding like they have finally stopped."

"Thank the Source. I reckon we should return. You should go home and get some sleep, try talking to them again tomorrow."

"I will…" But if that evening was any indication, that was going to be easier said than done, Antoine could just tell.

 **French translations:**

Bien: In this case, okay.

Mademoiselle: Miss.

Moi: me.

Non: No.

Oui: Yes.

 **French translations:**

Bien: In this case, okay.

Mademoiselle: A French title of respect and the equivalent of calling a girl or unmarried woman "miss".

Moi: me.

Non: No.

Oui: Yes.


	2. The Prince Without A Throne

**Chapter Two: The Prince Without A Throne**

Tails darted from tree to tree, his reddish-brown and white coat standing out amidst the woodsy browns and summer green tones of the surrounding forest. Planting his back against the rough trunk of a sugar maple, he carefully peered out from behind it. If he was going to become a Freedom Fighter someday, then he needed to practice his skills. One very important skill to have was sneakiness, and this was what he was working on at the moment.

Tails stepped back from the sugar maple to become airborne, the twin tails which were the source of his nickname working in unison to carry him up to a crook in the tree. There, he plopped down and made himself comfortable before reaching a small gloved hand into the little tan satchel he carried on his person. It contained some of his important Freedom Fighter gear, like half a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich, a pencil, a small rubber ball (in case he was ever captured by Robotnik and got bored in his cell), and a slingshot. He wound up pulling out a black spyglass, a present he'd received on his ninth birthday from Sonic.

Holding it up to his eye, he surveyed his domain. He easily picked out the lavender form of his friend Rotor sitting over by some big rocks, heartily enjoying a sweetclam sandwich he'd brought with him. Tails wasn't supposed to go far from Knothole by himself, so somebody older would always have to come with him if he ever wanted to go somewhere. However, he was of the mind that he didn't need a babysitter. He could take of himself - he _was_ ten after all.

Suddenly, Tails stiffened. Before his vantage point, between two skinny trees standing further off, something had just moved, disturbing the grass there. It seemed a little too big to be any sort of local animal. Tails stared hard at the area for a minute, but other than the slight swaying of the tall grass, nothing else happened. He couldn't catch any scents on the breeze other than the normal forest smells, and he didn't hear anything out of the ordinary either.

He glanced down at the telescope in his hand and was struck by a swift realization. The sunlight must have reflected off the lens, and whoever was there had seen it! But was it a friendly or a hostile, the fox wondered? He considered calling for Rotor - but if he did, he'd also alert the other person to Rotor's presence. A glance over his left shoulder revealed that Rotor didn't seem to have noticed anything out of the ordinary yet.

Tails decided to become airborne again. He hovered in a circle to see if he could spy anything. When he looked down at the base of his tree, his heart practically jumped into his throat, and he let out a yelp.

A slimly-built Mobian was standing there, looking up at him. He waved to Tails. "Hello up there!"

Intrigue quickly overriding his initial alarm, Tails frowned slightly as he studied the stranger, trying to pin down his species. The black and white-ringed tail of a raccoon, the face and ears of a fox, the feet and hands of a monkey… He really wasn't sure just what kind of Mobian he was looking at. Maybe he was a hybrid like Sally and Antoine. The unique Mobian was dressed in a sleeveless violet tunic and black pants, and a bright blue scarf was wound around his neck. It was a wonder to Tails how he could've had missed clothing so brightly colored. He also noticed the stranger was wearing a black utility belt around his torso and had a dark brown satchel slung over one shoulder.

"Parley, my friend?" The stranger offered in a friendly-sounding voice. He had an accent, but it wasn't like the accent of anybody Tails knew.

"Parley?" It sounded like something Antoine would cook with.

"Parley means we discuss terms with one another." The raccoon-that-was-not-a-raccoon clarified.

"Oh. Sure, okay then." Tails decided to go ahead and land so the two of them could talk together a little easier. "Is there something you want, mister?"

"Just call me Maki for now."

"Uh, can I help you?" The pair saw Rotor coming their way, no doubt having heard Tails and the stranger.

"His name's Maki! Maki, this is my friend Rotor." *Tails introduced the mysterious Mobian.

Maki acknowledged Rotor with a nod, but no verbal greeting ever left his mouth. Rotor was likewise silent, carefully sizing the shorter Mobian up. Interacting with strangers had never really been his forte. It was something he was content to leave up to Sally, Bunnie, or Sonic.

"I'm looking for Princess Sally Acorn." Maki finally said, ending the silence between them. However, he wasn't hiding the fact that he was eying Rotor with as much scrutiny as the walrus was him.

Rotor's gray eyes narrowed. "What are you looking for her for?"

"You know her then?" Maki took a step towards him, his eyes more animated then they previously had been. "Please, it's of the upmost importance. If I could only see her – she knows who I am. Describe my appearance to her."

Before Rotor or Tails could say anything, there was rustling behind them in the undergrowth. The thick vegetation began thrashing and shuddering, like a big animal trying to rid itself of a flea. A gorilla pushed a path through the brush, followed by an elderly leopard tortoise. The two of them gathered around Maki.

"These are my companions." Maki told the two Knotholers, indicating the strangers.

Rotor, already fairly ill at ease, wasn't made any more comfortable by the sight of more unfamiliar faces, the gorilla in particular. In spite of her youthful face, she already had the noticeable muscle and bulk of her kind and looked like more than a match for any SWATBot. She acted as wary as Maki did, watching Rotor very closely.

Unlike Rotor, Tails was more intrigued then worried or suspicious, wondering why Maki wanted to see Sally so badly. It was clear that he and maybe his friends weren't from Northamer. He wanted to find out who they were and where they'd come from. Tails hadn't met too many out-of-towners before.

"We are here to call upon Princess Sally. It is imperative that we speak to her." The tortoise explained in a strong yet soothing voice. His rich accent mirrored Maki's. "None of us have any intention of hurting you, your young friend here, the princess, or anyone else. If you know where she is, then please take us to her. If you need to search us first, then do what you must."

* * *

Inside her hut, Sally was sitting at the desk located in her sleeping quarters. The desk's surface was covered in an assembly of objects like books, maps, a globe, folders filled to the brim with documents which she deemed important, and her most prized possession, her super-computer NICOLE. Aside from her desk, the rest of the hut was fairly clean if a touch crowded, as Sally had a tendency to squirrel away anything she considered useful or potentially such. The desk, together with a bookshelf and her bed, took up quite a bit of space inside the small room.

The tips of four clawed fingers on one slim hand were pressed to her forehead, while her elbow was propped atop the desk. In her other hand was a stick of apple wood roughly the same size and length as a pencil, the end of which she was absently nibbling on. It was a necessary and natural habit for any rodent, serving to wear down their incisor teeth lest they become overgrown.

With NICOLE's assistance, she was going over the records of Knothole's current food stores. While the summer season was in full swing, autumn would be on them before they knew it. Sally wanted to make sure they had enough set aside to see them through the harsher months. The Knotholers thrived on food that was foraged from the wild as well as from their own orchard and vegetable garden, supplemented by food from Robotropolis and districts around Northamer gotten through various means, mostly either by swiping food stores intended for Robo-Loyalists, and charity from those who sympathized with the Resistance.

As NICOLE was presently rattling off the precise number of bags of flour they had, Sally, who normally was very attentive where it concerned NICOLE, found her mind drifting. Conan was so brave, risking himself by working right in the heart of Robotropolis. He would disguise himself as a SWATBot and, in the pursuit of learning more about Robotnik's schemes, get dangerously close to him and his forces in the process, including the much-feared Robotropolis secret police. At any moment Conan could be unmasked. He was partnered with a young lion named Cyrus, who had installed a special device into Conan's SWATBot armor that put off signals obscuring his organic signature. It served to hide him from electronic sensors and scanners which would have otherwise detected his true identity and given him away.

The duo's hard and impressive work was truly inspiring. The Knothole Freedom Fighters could all stand to improve their skills and become stronger, not just in order to help bring about their united goal of taking Robotnik down, but to keep themselves and each other safe as well. Today would be a good day to get in some combat and mission training with Bunnie and Sonic. Dulcy needed to work on her flying more. Rotor had begun work on a new project, an EMP device that was supposed to be able to disarm SWATBots without even touching them. There was so much to do, and it made Sally feel lucky to be a squirrel. Like a number of rodent species, they had a well-deserved reputation for being gifted at organization and memorization.

But it seemed like no matter how talented she was at coordinating the other Freedom Fighters and leading them as a team, or how handy and reliable NICOLE was, Sally was still no closer to reaching her father, King Maximilian Acorn, who was currently trapped in the Void of Silence. They knew he was stuck there inside the alternate dimension, the problem was figuring out a way to reach him. Sally was no magician, and for all her intelligence, otherworldly dimensions were out of her wheelhouse.

Maximilian was a red squirrel. It was he who she'd inherited her coloration, including her shock of auburn headfur, from. In appearance however, Sally was predominantly chipmunk, if one didn't count her short tail (her parents had always told that her difference made her special, but eventually she'd figured out for herself that it was a birth defect. Even so, she still chose not to let it affect her). Her late mother, Queen Alicia of Ducaine, had been a Hopi chipmunk.

Now, there was a new development to take into account: Antoine and his new friend. Magic, a dark cult, unicorns, meeting and befriending another well-known Freedom Fighter, the Smiling Bandit (although she had reservations about the dog, who had once been a notorious highwayman) – the story Antoine had given her and the other Knotholers was almost too wild to believe. So in other words, typical Antoine. Except that this time, he had solid proof in the form of Stormblaze, who backed up all his assertions. If it was all really just a fabrication, then what reasons would Stormblaze have for going along with it? The unicorn was a puzzle. He largely kept to himself. Aside from Antoine, none of them really knew who he was.

Then there was the business of this Ixis Naugus character encountered by Stormblaze and Antoine on their travels. Ordinarily, Sally wouldn't have been too concerned – according to the pair, they had sent the wizard packing in a rather spectacular fashion using the Deep Power Stones, and she doubted he'd be coming after them anytime soon in spite of the threat he'd made against them. But when Antoine said that Naugus had not only been the Royal Magician but present at her father's royal court in the days leading up to the coup, well, that was the _real_ head scratcher. She couldn't remember ever seeing anyone fitting his description around the palace before, and neither did Sonic or Rotor. She was dead certain that all of them would've remembered Naugus. Even Antoine himself admitted that he unable to recollect Naugus' presence there. Sally would be tempted to chalk the matter up to yet another one of Antoine's wild exaggerations or misunderstandings if, again, were it not for Stormblaze. Why could none of them remember Naugus? She resolved to ask Rosie about the matter. Maybe she could shed some light on things.

A knock at her front door caused her to look up with a sigh. Sally didn't like being interrupted in the middle of work, but she supposed it could have been something important. "I'm sorry NICOLE, but could you hold on a moment?"

"Of course, Sally." The handheld computer's feminine voice politely answered.

Sally dropped the apple wood stick inside her coffee mug and rose to her feet. Leaving her bedroom behind, she strolled into the living room and towards the door, leaning back to give her back a good stretch as she did. _'Whew! I must've been sitting longer then I thought.'_ "Come in." She called out.

The door opened about a foot before Bunnie's distinctive tan-furred head was poked inside. "You have a gentleman caller. Says his name is Maki."

Sally's brow furrowed. "Maki? I don't know anyone by that name."

"Well, he certainly acts like he knows you, Sal-gal."

Her curiosity piqued, Sally decided to go find out who this Maki character was and what he wanted from her. She allowed Bunnie to lead her to the place where Knothole's solar windmills were located, which, according to Bunnie, was where Maki was waiting.

Most of the other Knotholers, also realizing they had a visitor, had come out to see him for themselves. There were actually three Mobians in total who had been brought into Knothole by Rotor and Tails, but Sally only had eyes for one of the outsiders, a black-furred ringtail/Sclater's lemur hybrid who was engaged in an animated conversation with Tails. For her, it was like seeing a ghost. He was much bigger than he had been the last time she'd seen him of course, a whole head taller than Sonic. His once-thin frame had filled out, although he wasn't a muscleman by any means, being built more like a gymnast or something else along those lines instead. Rows of small, neat braids ran down his scalp, collected together with a purple hair tie into a single ponytail. Recovering her senses, Sally finally addressed the familiar figure. "Jioni?"

He'd finally taken notice of her too. "Sally!" An oversized grin stretching his face, Jioni stepped forward to meet her. They warmly embraced before pulling apart to regard the other with wonderment.

"I heard what happened in Lemuria," Sally's voice was soft. "Everyone thought you were dead."

Jioni's smile dimmed ever so slightly. "The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated – which is precisely what we wanted. I've had to go deep into hiding for my own protection. We've all had to." He indicated the gorilla and the leopard tortoise.

The gorilla was silently eying everyone (Bunnie especially) and everything with a fair amount of suspicion in her dark eyes, as if she was expecting assassins to spring out and attack her and her companions. Her fur was a deep indigo hue, and her burgundy vest had been left unbuttoned to reveal the tan leather torso and waist belts she wore. On the other hand, the leopard tortoise, clad in only a simple brown cloak, came across as being quite relaxed by comparison. In one weathered tan hand he clutched a deep brown, almost ebony-colored walking stick that was longer then he was tall. Its surface had been worn down to a smooth veneer by years and years of usage.

Sally looked around at the other Knotholers, who were regarding her and Jioni with great inquisitiveness (or in Sonic's case, outright mistrust). "Guys, I'd like you to meet Jioni Adansonia. He's from the Kingdom of Lemuria in Mazuri. He and his parents came to Mobotropolis to meet with me and my family when we were children. Jioni, these are my friends Bunnie, Sonic, Dulcy, and Antoine. And you've already met Rotor and Tails."

Jioni gave them all a smile and a small bow of his head. "Hello, everyone. Any friend of Sally's is a friend of mine's. The fine gentleman accompanying me is Dabiri, and the lovely lady here is Konga Silverback." As he introduced the leopard tortoise and the gorilla, he motioned to each in turn.

Konga's gaze had lingered frequently on Bunnie's bionic parts, but upon hearing her name, she favored the entire group with a nod of acknowledgment, her expression cool and tone of voice brusque. "Hello."

" _Jumbo_ , young ones." Dabiri greeted the Knotholers, raising a blunt-clawed hand in their direction.

"Ju-what now?" Dulcy cocked a scaly brow ridge as she put voice to her and the other Knotholers' unfamiliarity with the foreign word.

" _Jumbo_." Sally repeated. "It's Kiswahili for hello."

Dabiri nodded, visibly pleased by her display of knowledge. "Very good, princess. You are familiar with our native tongue?"

"You can just call me Sally, sir." She politely replied. "And I know some of the words and expressions thanks to Jioni here." She beamed at the lemur, who returned the happy look.

"I'm delighted you still remember, what with all the time that's passed."

Tails was carefully studying Jioni, fuzzy head slightly tilted to one side and brow ridge scrunched up. "So is your name Maki, or Jioni?"

"Oh, I apologize Tails. I had no intention of deceiving you or anyone else here. Maki is just a false name I use whenever I travel." Jioni informed the puzzled kit.

"Why do you even have a fake name in the first place?" Sonic demanded, folding his skinny arms.

"Because there are a lot of people out there who'd love to get their hands on me. I am crown prince and sole heir to the Lemurian throne."

The Knotholers, save for Sally, just stared at him.

"A prince huh? Always wondered if there were any other free royals out there." Bunnie finally commented, breaking the stunned silence. After his takeover of Mobotropolis, Robotnik had gone out of the way to either eliminate or keep many of Mobius' political leaders under his thumb.

Jioni looked over in her direction. "You could say that we're an endangered species, my lady. I was lucky to get out of Lemuria alive. It's my utmost pleasure to meet you, by the way." Approaching her, he took Bunnie's hand in his and lightly planted a kiss on the back of it.

Not having expected such a gesture from him – especially since it was her roboticized left hand that he'd kissed, not the other one like most guys would've done - Bunnie smiled bashfully and glanced away from him. "Oh, uh, likewise yer highness!"

Sonic was observing everything that was happening in rising anger, the spikes on his head and the nape of his neck bristling. "I don't like this guy. He's way too smooth!" He whispered to the other boys.

Having just borne witness to the exchange between Jioni and Bunnie, Rotor appeared to be on the same page. There was a look on his face like he had just watched one of his machines fall apart after having spent hours working on it.

Antoine had to bite his lower lip to keep from laughing out loud. He knew that not long ago he would've reacted to the situation in much the same way that Sonic and Rotor were.

"Well, is anyone going to show me around?" Jioni asked, glancing around at their surroundings. "I would really enjoy seeing the rest of your village. Is it really self-sustaining?"

He hadn't taken more than two steps before Sonic was suddenly in his face, scowling for all he was worth. "You don't look like any prince _I've_ ever seen before. How come I never heard of you?"

Jioni's eyebrows shot up before he smiled a bit. "Do many princes come around here then?"

"If you're really a prince like you say you are, then what's up with these lame clothes? Where's your fancy crown, huh?" Sonic prodded his chest.

Konga's eyes narrowed. Gently ushering Jioni aside, she stood directly in front of Sonic, muscular arms crossed over one another. Due to her species, Konga was taller than anyone else there, with the exception of Dulcy. "I don't care who you are, hedgehog. Keep your grubby paws to yourself. Touch him again, and you'll have _me_ to answer to."

Predictably, her warning failed to deter him. "I'm not scared of you – hey!" Sally had come up alongside Sonic, grabbed him by an ear, and was marching him off to one side.

"Sonic Hedgehog! Can you meet someone and not act like a troglodyte for once?"

' _Not likely.'_ Antoine thought. _'And here we go…'_ Sure enough, the both of them started arguing. Audibly sighing in exasperation, Antoine turned away from the routine spectacle and back to Jioni. "It is an honor to meet you, your royal highness." He greeted, walking up to him.

Jioni seemed to mull over Antoine's welcome before returning his smile. "Your royal highness… I haven't been called that in ages. You may call me Jioni if you want." Reaching out, he shook hands with Antoine. "I must say, it's refreshing to be able to hear another accent, even if it's not one from my homeland."

Antoine nodded his agreement. "Likewise." The fact that he was not a native of the Great Continent was yet another factor that left him feeling isolated from most of the other Knotholers, who had been born there.

Sally was returning to join them, a sulky-looking but mute Sonic following in her wake.

Attracted by the commotion, Rosie had left her hut to see what all the fuss was over. "Children? Who are all of you -" Seeing who was standing there with them, she froze and let out a little gasp. "That cannae be little Jioni! Why, you've grown so tall!"

Chuckling, Jioni waited to affectionately enfold her in his arms as she hitched up her dress and hurried towards him. "It's me alright, Miss Rosie!"

After their embrace ended, Rosie turned to Dabiri. "And Mr. Dabiri! It's been far too long since I last heard anything from ye! You're looking quite well."

"The pleasure is all mine's, dear lady. I must say, you're still as fresh and lovely as a jungle blossom in bloom." Taking one of her hands, Dabiri kissed the back of it.

Light brown eyes sparkling, Rosie brought a hand up to her cheek. "Still as charming as ever, I see!"

Pointing a finger into his open mouth, Sonic silently pretended to gag in response to the behavior of his elders. Rosie and Dabiri didn't catch the gesture, but most of the youths did. Antoine just shook his head. He was disgusted alright, but with Sonic's attitude, not Rosie and Dabiri. It really escaped him as to why Sally was so taken with someone as utterly boorish and childish as Sonic was.

After Rosie and Konga were introduced, Konga maintaining a polite but reserved demeanor and Rosie her typical genial self, Bunnie then addressed the Lemurians. "Ya'll are welcome to come make yourselves at home."

"Thank you, young lady." Dabiri nodded appreciatively to her. "I daresay these old bones could use a rest."

The Knotholers' guests were led to the one dwelling in the village that towered over every other building and tree alike there. The Great Oak, as it was appropriately known as, served as an indoor meeting place, while the tree's higher levels were used to store miscellaneous items. Entering the teahouse, the Lemurians hung their knapsacks on a wall rack, and together, they and the Knotholers settled down on several cushioned chairs that had been assembled around a large table there. The Lemurians turned down lunch, but did accept Rosie's offer of refreshments, raspberry tea and blackberry muffins.

"You've been alive all this time." Sally, who had positioned herself next to Jioni, stated after Rosie returned with the tea and muffins. "How on Mobius did you survive?"

"After my parents received word of what happened in Mobotropolis, they made a declaration of war against Robotnik. I was made to remain at our country estate while my mother ran the war from the field and father kept an eye on things at the palace. When we stopped hearing word from mother, my father took command of the military. Then one day, I received news that he too had been captured. When the last remnants of our military fell and Robotnik's war machines were on their way to the capital, Dabiri spirited Konga and I out of the country. We traveled all over Mobius, never staying in one location for too long. We always had to pack up and move on elsewhere for fear of my true identity being discovered. For years I've had to pretend to be anyone else but Jioni Adansonia, never allowing myself to get close to another soul because I knew we would have to leave sooner or later."

Listening to Jioni the whole time with wide eyes, Antoine couldn't imagine having to hide who he really was and living life on the run. At least Knothole granted him stability if nothing else.

He wasn't the only one left shaken. Bunnie and Rosie were teary-eyed, and Tails appeared to be about as disturbed as Antoine was.

Unlike his teammates, Sonic remained entirely unfazed, slouching back in his seat with crossed arms and legs. His mouth was twisted into a little skeptical sneer. Rotor's face though was devoid of any of kind of expression whosoever. If he did or didn't believe Jioni's tale, then he was keeping his feelings to himself.

"Gosh, that's a really sad story." Dulcy said, sniffling loudly.

Sally reached a comforting hand out to Jioni, which he took in his. "Oh Jioni. I'm so sorry all of you had to experience all that."

"Thank you both, but I know that there are others who've fared far worse than my companions and I have under Robotnik. But enough about me. I've heard that you lot have become real thorns in Robotnik's side. Won a few victories against him even."

"That's right. I like to think he loses sleep each night fuming about us spoiling his day." Sally answered, a note of pride entering her voice. "I'd be happy to tell you all about our missions later."

"Truly splendid. You've blossomed into quite the leader." Jioni flashed her another warm, appraising smile. "So where's Elias? I noticed he isn't here. What a fighter he must've turned out to be!" Chuckling fondly, he glanced around as though he were expecting to see Elias appear. "You know I can still see him running around with that little sword of his?"

Instantly an uncomfortable silence took over the room. Even Sonic didn't say anything, and no one would meet Jioni's eye. Elias was Sally's older brother. He and Antoine had also been very good friends. On the fateful day King Maximilian was overthrown, the prince had not been with the other children, as he was elsewhere in the palace receiving tutoring. No one knew exactly what had become of him in the maelstrom of Robotnik's attack, but he hadn't been seen since that day.

Seeing their reactions, Jioni bowed his head, his demeanor now solemn. "I apologize. Please forgive me for speaking out of turn."

"It's alright, love." Rosie gently patted his arm. "You didn't know."

"Jioni, Sally said you and your folks visited Mobotropolis when you and her were little." Bunnie began, tactfully steering the conversation onto a much less grim subject. "What brought ya'll there in the first place?"

Jioni looked to Sally. "Shall I explain, or do you wish to?"

"You can field this one."

"Well, my parents, Queen Kamaria and King Ade," Jioni began, now speaking to the rest of the group, "had been searching all over Mobius for a prospective bride for me. Eventually, they began corresponding with Sally's parents. We were invited to Mobotropolis to stay at the palace as guests, and there I was introduced to Sally. Since we hit it off so well, it was decided that we should be betrothed."

"What's that mean? Betrothed?" That was Tails, swinging his dangling legs over the edge of his chair.

"That the two of them are intended for one another – to be married someday." Dabiri explained.

Tails wrinkled his nose. "Ugh!"

His response elicited amused chuckling from most of the others, except for Sally and Sonic. With the new curse the discussion was heading in, Sally couldn't help but begin feeling a little awkward. "I'd forgotten all about that…"

"But I haven't." Jioni was gazing intently at her. "I -"

Sonic sprang to his feet. "So _that's_ why you showed your pointy-nosed face around here, isn't it? To try and get her to marry you!" His tone was demanding and accusatory as he glowered at Jioni.

"You mind your manners, laddie!" Rosie scolded him. "I taught you better then that!"

Dabiri had been sipping his tea. Setting his cup down on the table, he very calmly asked the fuming hedgehog, "Young fellow, are you already engaged to Miss Sally?"

His question took Sonic completely off guard. "Huh? N-no way! I'm only sixteen!"

"Then is she not free to choose who she marries?" Jioni asked him.

"Well yeah, but -" Sonic's righteous anger returned. "Get serious! She doesn't even have time to get married!"

Her face more serious then what was usual even for her, Sally turned towards the other Knotholers. "Guys, do you think you can excuse us? There are some… things Jioni and I need to discuss in private."

"As you wish." Respectfully inclining his head to her, Dabiri got up to take his leave of the gathering. "Come, Konga."

Konga arose to join him, although she seemed a little reluctant to leave Jioni by himself, casting a concerned glance over her shoulder at him. Meeting her eye, he gave her a single nod of his head, as though reassuring her that everything would be alright.

"Wait." Rosie held out a hand in their direction, causing them to stop to see what she wanted. "Would you both care for a tour of Knothole?"

"That sounds like a splendid idea." Dabiri concurred.

Bunnie too nodded to show her respect for Sally's wishes before turning to Sonic and the other youngsters. "Well, ya'll heard her. Vamoose."

Antoine didn't need to be told twice and was already on his out, but not before grabbing a muffin. He wanted to get in some extra training today. Under Bunnie's watchful eye, the others also began leaving. However, Sonic didn't seem inclined to go anywhere until Rosie came over and started steering him away, but he was giving Jioni the evil eye the whole time.

Patiently, Jioni waited until everyone dispersed before addressing Sally once more. "I have something I'd like to show you."

Curiously, Sally looked on as Jioni fished a small gray box from out of his pants pocket and opened it to show her what was inside. Upon seeing what it was, her eyes grew as big and as round as globes.

It was a simple gold ring.

"It's for you." He explained. "Sonic wasn't mistaken. Sally, I was compelled to come to Northamer for one very important reason."

Sally watched in confusion as Jioni took a knee, still holding the box out towards her. "Jioni, what are -?"

Tenderly grasping her right hand in his free one, he stared deep into her eyes. "Will you marry me?"

* * *

While Dabiri and Konga were being shown around Knothole, Sonic and company had relocated to a spot next to a stream which snaked its way through the village before merging with other streams to become a larger, more powerful river. It was a pretty location in every season, and that was why everyone liked to visit there to take in the scenery.

Terribly bored with all of the wedding talk by then, Tails had wondered off to find something to do that, in his opinion, would be far more interesting and fun.

Sonic was pacing back and forth, ranting all the while. "Can you guys believe this? Who do these people think they are?"

"I hear they like marrying young in Mazuri." Rotor grimly put in.

"Really?" Perking up, Dulcy eagerly leaned towards her friends in her seated position. "Hey, you guys think Sally'll let me be flower girl?"

" _For the last time, no one's gettin' married!"_

Bunnie massaged her ears, which were really smarting right then thanks to Sonic's outraged scream. "Calm down, Sugah-hog! I think the whole forest heard you." Wanting to change the topic before Sonic blew another gasket, she asked the group, "So none of ya'll remember Jioni?"

"Nope." Rotor shook his head. "My family must've been out of town or something."

"Me neither. But I was only five then and way more interested in having tea parties with my imaginary best friend Sandy." Dulcy replied before sighing wistfully. "I miss Sandy."

Sonic rolled his eyes at her before contemplating Bunnie's question himself.

 _The royal family's palace had been lavishly decorated, and there was not a single speck of dirt or dust to be seen anywhere. Sonic was only six then, but he was as fast as ever, zipping up to the refreshment table to swipe a handful of cream puffs off a silver platter and cramming the sweet treats into his mouth. Catching sight of some éclairs further down the table, he honed in on them. He knew that that day was a special occasion for the Acorns, but neither did he know or really care about what was going on. Sally's dad had visitors nearly all the time. To him, it was just a bunch of adults doing boring adult stuff. They'd even roped Elias into the act, dressing him up in some monkey suit. Mr. Acorn had been going around introducing him to the boring old Mobians for much of the party's duration. Elias had put on a smile, but Sonic could tell he was getting bored. Sonic thought it was good payback for the eleven-year old prince's refusal to allow him, Sally, and Rotor into the treetop clubhouse he and Antoine liked to play in._

 _"_ _Olgilvie_ _Maurice Hedgehog!"_

 _Hearing his full name used like that, Sonic knew he was in trouble. Cream smearing his mouth, he slowly turned around to face his uncle Chuck Hedgehog and a female Mobian Sonic had never seen before. She was a Scalter's lemur whose elaborately braided red-tinted headfur trailed down her back. She wore a long brightly-colored dress, and a golden tiara ornamented with gold leaves sat upon her head. Both were regarding Sonic with disapproval, the lemur especially._

" _Now is not the time to be running inside the palace, young man!" Chuck chastised as he walked up to the hoglet._

" _Sorry." Sonic mumbled, looking down at his sneakers._

 _Kneeling so he could be closer to Sonic, Chuck spoke to him in a gentler tone of voice. "Why don't you go outside? Sally should be out there, and you can meet Jioni too."_

" _Okay Uncle Chuck." Sonic sped out of the palace and down the marble steps. He decided to check out the Royal Gardens first. His hunch paid off. There he found Sally seated on one of the swinging hammock chairs that had been set up around the garden. Next to her was a skinny lemur_ _who might have been seven._

" _Lemme guess – you're Jioni." Sonic said, pointing at him._

" _That's right_. _What's your name?"_

" _Jioni, this is Sonic. He's my friend I was telling you about." Sally explained before turning her attention back to Sonic. "Jioni's visiting from Lemuria."_

" _How do you do?" Standing, Jioni stepped forward to offer a handshake._

 _Sonic accepted it, but couldn't resist making a little wisecrack as he did. "How do you do what?" He laughed at his own joke._

 _Jioni must not have been expecting a response like that, because he blinked his big eyes a little before finally giggling himself._

 _Sally just rolled her eyes. "Oh brother."_

 _Pleased with his own wittiness, Sonic happened to be surveying his surroundings when he suddenly noticed the downy head of an ostrich peering at him from over the hedgerow behind him. "Huh?" Before he could blink twice, the ostrich had gone. Frowning, Sonic parted the hedgerow and peered through it, trying to see if he could spot the bird again. On the other side, he saw a second ostrich strutting around and looking alert as she scanned the garden. Pulling back, Sonic went over to Sally and leaned in towards her. "Sal, don't look now, but there's some strangers in your garden!"_

" _Strangers?" Sally echoed._

 _Having also heard Sonic, Jioni glanced around. Peeking through the hedgerow for himself, he came back out laughing. "Those are just my bodyguards, Miss Mbuni and Miss Tifu."_

" _What do you need bodyguards for?" Sonic knew Mr. Acorn had bodyguards too, but that was because he was king. No way was this kid that important!_

" _Just in case. My parents are very important Mobians, and they want to make sure I'm always safe."_

" _Mobotropolis_ is _safe, dude. Me and the others play out here all the time!"_

" _Your city is very impressive, and I'm sure it's very secure, but father always tells me it's better to be safe then sorry."_

 _Sonic snorted, giving Jioni an "are you serious?" look. If he wanted to hear a lecture about safety, then he'd go find one of his teachers._

 _As it turned out, Jioni had brought some books with him and had been sharing them with Sally before Sonic had arrived. Sonic stared at the both of them in disbelief. "Are you two really just gonna sit there and read?" They were wasting a perfectly good day outdoors!_

" _It has pictures of Lemuria in it." Jioni explained, looking up at him. "You can join us if you like. Since I've seen your country, I want to show you mine's."_

" _Come on, Sonic! Lemuria is so pretty!" Sally encouraged him. "And they have these jewels there called storm rubies that can make storms!"_

 _Sonic groaned in disappointment, but reluctantly plopped down next to Sally while she oohed and awed over Jioni's dumb old book. He was really going to have to show this new kid how to lighten up and have some fun._

"… Yeah... I do remember him now." Sonic slowly began. "I didn't realize who he was back then. He was kind of a smug bore and always had bodyguards following him around. Nice to see that some things never change. His mom was stuck-up too - didn't like me running around the palace."

"I think it's kinda romantic myself, his comin' all this way just to find Sally." Bunnie admitted, a soft smile forming on her face.

Sonic snorted. She would, considering all those goofy romance novels she had stashed away in her hut.

"Hey, where's Tony?" Dulcy suddenly asked.

Prompted by her question, the three tried to see if they could spot the coydog, but Antoine was nowhere in sight.

"Maybe he got mad because of Jioni and left." Rotor suggested.

"What makes you think he's mad?" Bunnie asked him. "I saw the two of 'em talkin' together just fine earlier."

Sonic's head whipped towards her. "Whoa, seriously? So the marriage crap didn't get him all hot under the collar?"

"Not that I could tell."

Ever since the whole matter of Sally's arranged marriage had come up, Antoine hadn't once crossed Sonic's mind - not until Dulcy had brought up his name. Why was he being so quiet about Jioni? In fact, Sonic didn't think he'd heard him say anything since the Lemurians had been in Knothole. It was really out of character for the guy. Deciding that such a weird situation required investigating, Sonic started walking off towards the huts without a word to his friends.

Mystified, the others watched him. Rotor piped up, "Where are you going?"

Sonic turned to look back at him, but didn't stop. "There's something I wanna check out. Be back in a sonic sec."

Sonic was still lost in his thoughts. And the more he thought, the weirder it was to him how Antoine didn't seem at all fazed by any of this. After all, Antoine had almost always been jealous of the close relationship Sonic shared with Sally and had the nerve to act like Sally was his girl.

It didn't take very long to reach Antoine's place, which was situated right on the outer edge of the cluster of huts, close to Sally, Tails, and Rosie's huts. If Antoine wasn't there, then Sonic figured he was already on his way to Tanforan. Why did he and that unicorn pal of his (Sonic was hard-pressed to believe that Stormblaze actually was a unicorn and not just a cart horse with a glass horn glued to his head) need to go off and train in the forest instead of just staying in Knothole? It was where everybody else trained, and it worked just fine for them. Sonic wondered if Stormblaze thought he was too good to train with the likes of them or if something funny was going on. Not bothering to knock and correctly betting that Antoine's door would be open, he invited himself on in.

There was Antoine, frozen in the act of putting on his sword belt he stared at Sonic, who came to stand in his parlor room. Apparently, Antoine was planning on going somewhere.

"Where do you think you're off to?" Sonic demanded.

For a moment Antoine just continued to stare, visibly displeased by Sonic's intrusion before he finally inhaled deeply and adopted a patient expression. "Is there something you need, Sonic?"

"Why aren't you mad about Jioni?"

"Why should I be caring in the first place?" Shrugging, he finished buckling the sword belt in place. "The matter is none of _mon_ business."

' _Is he for real?'_ Sonic wondered, narrowing his dark brown eyes as he looked the way too calm coydog up and down. What was he going to do, go crying his eyes out to Stormblaze about how Sally had dumped him or whatever? He should've been mad. Sonic wouldn't have faulted him for it in this case. "You're so full of it. You know that deep down you can't stand the thought of that creep marrying her either!"

Disappearing inside his washroom, Antoine then returned with a small mirror and held it up, looking at himself in it. "It would have." He began evenly. "Once upon a time. But believe it or not, Mobians change. I do not care which one of you Sally is choosing because I am not in love with her anymore. It is being as simple as that. And what has Jioni done to be called a creep, as you put it? You are not even knowing him."

Sonic's jaw just about hit the floor. What was going on here? It was like the Antoine he knew had been replaced with a lookalike from some bizarro universe or something. In spite of his shock though, a part of him was glad that Antoine had finally gotten the message and was going to be leaving Sally and him alone. "What, you and he best friends all of a sudden?" He retorted. "You don't know him either. For all we know he could be an axe murderer."

Antoine paused. No, he didn't know a thing about Jioni. Antoine hadn't been in Mobotropolis when the prince visited – he had been away in Richelieu-sur-Mer, spending the weekend with his aunt Blanchfleur. But calling Jioni an axe murderer seemed quite extreme. Also, Antoine didn't like the idea of Sonic treating Jioni the way he treated Antoine himself just because Jioni had feelings for Sally too. When it came to Sally, Sonic was so possessive. Antoine thought over what he was about to say next very carefully. "I just do not think you should be doing anything rash."

"Forget it! I'll take care of that chump with or without your help!"

Watching Sonic zoom off, Antoine sighed and shook his head. He really hoped Sonic wasn't going to continue this pattern of behavior when he was an adult.

 **Author's notes:** Richelieu-sur-Mer is the creation of Cakeless Pixels.

 **French translations:**

Mon: My.


	3. My True Story

**Chapter Three:** **My True Story**

Sally Acorn's long-lost childhood friend had just proposed to her. He was eying her like a hawk, awaiting her answer. She felt completely detached from her own body, observing the scene like a bystander watching from the sidelines. She could remember being there at the palace's Royal Gardens when her father and Jioni's parents were sitting together talking excitedly. Her ears had caught snatches of their conversation and words like "dowry" and "betrothal", but at the time she'd simply been too young to really comprehend what was really going on and preoccupied playing with Jioni and Sonic. "I don't know what to say…"

"Say yes." Jioni pressed. "I know I don't have a kingdom and wealth to offer you now, but that won't be permanent, I assure you."

"Listen Jioni, this is a really touching gesture, but I can't marry you." Sally said, putting some space between them.

Lowering the box, Jioni stood back up, pointed ears canted back in dismay. "It's Sonic, isn't it?"

"No. If he asked me to marry him, I'd tell him the same thing. I'm only sixteen and you're eighteen." She pressed a hand to her chest empathically. "Don't you think that's a little young for marriage?"

"Sally, look at our world. We're continually surrounded by loss, death, and war. I lost my parents to Robotnik's warmongering when I was only a child, and he's orphaned you as well! If we are wed, then our kingdoms will be united and we'll stand a better chance of defeating that monster!"

"We don't have to be married to unite our kingdoms. Lemuria and the Kingdom of Acorn have had friendly relations for years. Are you actually proposing to me just because you want to bring our kingdoms together?"

He moved towards her. "I admit to that being one of my motives, yes, but ever since meeting you I've been enchanted by you – everything about you. Your laugh, the way your fur looks when the light hits it at just the right angle, that smile. I've never known another girl like you before, Sally Acorn. I couldn't stand being away from you all these years! I'd wake up in the middle of the night wondering if you'd been killed on one of your missions or something."

Jioni's concern for her wellbeing coaxed a gentle smile to Sally's face. "I've been leading the Freedom Fighters for four and a half years now. I know what I'm doing, and I don't take unnecessary risks." She patted his hand reassuringly. "I'll always consider you a good friend, but… well, we haven't seen each other in over fifteen years. I don't know a thing about you anymore then you do me. We're not the same people that we were as kids. We might be totally incompatible as husband and wife."

Jioni's electric blue eyes lit up. "Well, why don't we get to know each other all over again? It'll be just like the first time we met! I'll remain here for as long as it takes to win your love!"

Sally contemplated the idea. It couldn't really hurt anything, she supposed, just as long as he turned out to be nothing like a certain coydog. Knothole didn't really need two Antoines running around. Plus, Jioni didn't have anywhere else to go, and she couldn't turn him and his companions away to continue living as down-and-out drifters. "We'd love to have you here with us, but I can't guarantee that I'll end up marrying you."

Jioni grinned broadly. "That sounds like a challenge, my dear Sally. I accept."

* * *

Sunlight struck Bunnie's metal legs and arm, lending them a white gleam as she stepped outside the entrance of her hut. Looking around the quiet little village, she guessed she was the only Mobian who was up right about then, until she looked across the way over at the tree house residences. Konga was descending from one of them using its rope ladder. Sally had figured that since both she and Jioni were primates, they'd probably appreciate the tree houses. She also told the pair that they were more than welcome to stay in them for as long as they were in Knothole. Dabiri had been given a spare hut near Rosie's, as he didn't seemed particularly inclined to either climb trees or would enjoy doing so. Besides, he and Rosie seemed pretty chummy with each other, and no doubt she appreciated having another older person around in Knothole.

Even though Bunnie had just met Dabiri and Jioni, they seemed like nice folk to her, and she liked them. And she'd be lying if she said that Jioni wasn't a catch - handsome, a real gentleman, and a prince to boot. Sally had been through a lot in her short lifetime, but she was still luckier then Bunnie herself was in more ways than one and didn't even realize it, the cottontail rabbit thought. Bunnie didn't really like thinking of herself as the jealous type, but sometimes she wished boys would start paying attention to her like they used to the way they did Sally.

In contrast to the two male Lemurians, Konga was the one Bunnie wasn't so sure of. She'd noticed her staring the other day. Unlike Jioni and Dabiri, Konga also seemed to have made a point of avoiding coming anywhere near Bunnie. If Dabiri and Jioni were uncomfortable by it, then they were doing a bang-up job of hiding how they really felt. By that point in time, Bunnie had grown used to getting strange looks from others. Seeing someone who was partially roboticized was unnerving, especially if one had never seen a person like that before, she knew. The other Knotholers had long since become used to her appearance, but the Lemurians had probably never seen anyone like her before in their lives. But that still didn't mean that the looks of fear and revulsion didn't hurt. If Konga could only see she was just like anybody else, then maybe she would start relaxing around her.

Konga had descended to terra firma and had her back turned when Bunnie finally reached her. "Mornin', Konga!" She greeted with a chipper smile. "Did you have a good night's rest?"

Konga started when she realized who it was that was addressing her, and scooted a few steps back from Bunnie. "Good m-morning. Yes, the tree house was fine, thank you."

There was an awkward pause. Nevertheless, Bunnie was determined to try again. "You wanna join me for breakfast? I got strawberries, and I'm gonna whip up some waffles to go with 'em."

"No thank you. I think I'll go and get washed up for the day." Her tone was perfectly polite, but the meaning of her words was loud and clear to Bunnie.

Dismayed, Bunnie watched as Konga hastened off to where Knothole's well was located without another glance behind her. It was like Konga couldn't get away from her fast enough.

* * *

"So what did you do?"

"Well, at first I was being so annoyed that he was just barging into my hut and questioning me like he was my father that I could not do anything at first. If I were to be doing such a thing to him, then how do you think he would respond?"

Antoine and Stormblaze were at the creek, sitting side by side on the grassy bank. Antoine was telling Stormblaze about his encounter with Sonic the previous day. In his aggravation at what he viewed as yet another example of Sonic's rampant hypocrisy, Antoine picked up a small stone nearby and lobbed it at the creek. It disappeared below the water's clear surface with an audible plunk. "Now I think he is being angry at me for not going along with him." He continued. "But Jioni has not done anything bad or suspicious. I would not feel right chasing him out of Knothole. He should have a fair chance to win Sally's heart, just as Sonic does. But I think I am messing up my chance to speak with Sonic."

"If you don't feel right about helping him chase off of Jioni, then you should not compromise your morals just to appease him. That is his problem, not your's. He's always going to have some sort of chip on his shoulder where it concerns you, and you cannot really do anything about it."

Antoine's expression turned hopeful. "So does that mean I should give up on trying to speak with him?"

"No."

Groaning loudly, Antoine flopped back onto the thick green grass with outstretched arms. The theatrical display earned a snort and a headshake from Stormblaze. Gazing out over the tranquil creek again, Stormblaze perked up as a new idea suddenly occurred to him.

Antoine was still lying out in his prone position. Relaxing like this in the dozy calm of the outdoors, with the warmth of the noonday sun beaming down on him and the gentle burble of the creek close by, threatened to make Antoine fall asleep. But then he heard a resounding splash and felt the sensation of cool water soaking into his clothes and the fur on his chest. Jolting upright, he looked down at the front of his drenched tunic, unable to believe what he was seeing, before turning his outraged gaze onto a certain puckish-looking unicorn close by. "Stormblaze!"

Stormblaze was kneeling alongside the creek. "It's rather warm, so I thought you could do with a cool down. What are you going to do about it?"

"I will _not_ participate in such childishness!" Antoine defiantly declared, crossing his arms and presenting his back to Stormblaze.

That was a mistake. Cupping his right hand, Stormblaze swept his hand through the water, splashing Antoine a second time.

Now his back was dripping wet. Seconds passed and nothing happened. Then slowly, deliberately, Antoine turned around to face Stormblaze. "This means war!" Bounding into the creek, he began scooping handfuls water at Stormblaze, who, laughing, tried to shield himself and splash Antoine back at the same time. The air became filled with shuts and cries of excitement.

In the mean time, Bunnie had been trying to track down Antoine's whereabouts, but no one seemed to know where he'd vanished to. That seemed to be more and more of a common occurrence with him, she thought. He didn't hang around Knothole and read or listen to his music by himself like he used to. At first her search had begun in Knothole until she finally realized he wasn't there, and so she set off into the Great Forest. She figured that more than likely he was off with Stormblaze somewhere, which was something of a comfort, but she really wished he would let her or somebody else know when he was planned on leaving and where he was going. Personal experience had taught her the hard way that just taking off without telling another soul where you were headed wasn't a very safe thing to.

Bunnie had decided that spending time with one of her friends would pick up her mood after her unsuccessful attempt to befriend Konga earlier. She and Antoine hadn't had much time to reconnect since his homecoming, though she'd been there right along with the other Knotholers to listen to the story he shared about his trip. While some of the Freedom Fighters and company still had their doubts about the veracity of his tale, even with Stormblaze's insistence that it had all really occurred, Bunnie believed it. Everything was just too detailed for him to fabricate, even with all the reading he did.

Ever since he'd returned from the quest, there was definitely something different about that boy, and it wasn't just the change of clothing either. For one thing, he was quieter and more humble then before. He hadn't been calling Sally "princess" like he constantly used to, just plain old Sally instead, and hadn't once followed her around making calf eyes at her like he would before either. It was all a drastic change from Antoine's typical behavior. He even looked different to her – far less twitchy and older somehow, but not in a bad way or something though. Just simply more grown up. All this was why Bunnie was keen to sit down and talk, just the two of them, and find out what was behind his transformation.

As she walked through the woodland, intending to stop by Tanforan Falls first, her sharp ears suddenly swiveled to the left as they reacted to some unexpected noises. _'Sure is a lot of splashing and yelling coming from over by the creek.'_ Bunnie decided to make a detour over that way to see what was up.

Nonplussed didn't even begin to describe her reaction to what she found herself looking at.

It was Antoine and Stormblaze in the middle of having a very enthusiastic water fight. She couldn't believe her eyes – stuffy old Antoine down in the creek standing in thigh-high water, splashing around and getting splashed – _and looking like he was actually enjoying it._

Catching a metallic silver glint from the corner of his eye, Stormblaze glanced over to see what it could be and saw Bunnie standing there watching them. Even without his telempathy her astonishment was obvious to him; her normally flopped-over left ear was standing straight up. Stormblaze stopped what he was doing and got a faceful of water as a result, but he managed to grab Antoine's attention and pointed at Bunnie.

Instantly Antoine stopped and stared at Bunnie. He felt utterly humiliated at being caught in such an undignified position. He wished he could sink under the water like a rock.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Bunnie said, finally returning to her senses. "I can come back later."

Wading over to the bank, Antoine stepped out of the creek. Water pooled on the pebbled earth around his paws and dripped steadily from his tunic and short tail. His golden-yellow headfur was plastered wetly to his head, but he maintained what he believed (and hoped) to be a cool, serious expression. "There is no need to. What is it?"

"It weren't nothin' serious, really. I just wanted to see how you were doin'." Bunnie tried to maintain a straight face, but couldn't keep herself from grinning. It was a struggle for her not to laugh at the sight Antoine made. His attempts to play it off just made things even funnier.

Finally, Antoine started to grin a bit himself. "I… I guess I am looking rather silly, _oui_?"

"Just a bit." Bunnie giggled. "But everyone's entitled to havin' a silly moment every now and then."

"Couldn't agree more, Miss Bunnie." Stormblaze said, joining them on the bank. He shook himself off, further saturating Antoine and getting Bunnie wet as well in the process.

Seeing the water droplets rolling down Bunnie's limbs and tawny fur and her wet leotard, Antoine fixed him with a rather sour look. "Stormblaze..."

"My apologies." Stormblaze ducked his head Bunnie's way.

"It's alright." She shrugged. "Weather's been gettin' pretty warm, and it ain't like I can rust."

Stormblaze's antics had sidetracked Antoine, but then he remembered what Bunnie said – she came to see how he was faring. So she actually wanted to check in on him? Maybe what really happened was that she'd just grown bored with all the melodrama back in Knothole surrounding Jioni or something, and he just happened to be the first person she'd run into out there. While out of all the Knothole Freedom Fighters she was the nicest to him, he still found himself questioning the true nature of their friendship and whether or not it could really even be called such in the first place. He genuinely did want to trust her and liked her for the most part, but wasn't exactly sure what to think of her by that point in time. Nonetheless, his sense of propriety kicked in and he asked, "Would you care to join us? We could be going somewhere more comfortable if you wish."

"Here's fine." Bunnie sat down on the bank. "I like watching the water. There's something soothing about it."

Antoine began to think about how he might able to turn the situation to his favor. Even prior to his adventure with Stormblaze Sally almost always seemed to be preoccupied with something or other, and with Jioni's arrival, Antoine knew that he was most likely not going to get the opportunity to have a one-on-one discussion with her anytime soon. Likewise, Antoine's chances for having a calm, rational conversation with Sonic and asking for his forgiveness weren't looking so good currently. But seeing as how Bunnie was right there with him and Stormblaze, he could attempt doing so with her. He was just unsure as to how to begin. Should he just jump right out and apologize? Make small talk first? _'Why is it so difficult to talk to her all of sudden?!'_ He wondered, frustrated. "I like looking at nature too." He finally succeeded in blurting out.

"Ya'll wanna sit down?"

"Huh? Oh _oui_ , _merci_." Antoine sat down, making sure to keep a respectful distance between Bunnie and himself. He noted that Bunnie didn't look nearly as ill at ease as he knew he himself must have appeared just then.

"Thank you, but I'll dry off faster if I just walk around for a bit." Stormblaze told her. He too was interested as to exactly what had brought Bunnie there, but unlike Antoine wasn't questioning her motives.

"So how's the training comin'?" Bunnie asked Antoine.

"Quite well, thank you." Antoine answered, grateful that she was the one initiating the conversation. It took pressure off of him to try and think of something for them to talk about. "I am still working on building strength and improving my sword work, but it is not just the blade that I am wishing to be good with. If I am losing _mon_ sabre, then I must have another way to protect myself or others. I want to know how to fight with many different kinds of weapons as well as without them."

"You got the right idea there sug, but I think it might be best if you focused on reaching one goal at a time. You try doin' too many things at once, and you're liable to stretch yourself thin."

"Quite right." Stormblaze agreed. "Not only that, but we all must learn to walk before we can run - meaning that you must learn the basics first before going onto master something more complex. Actually, I believe I must find you a more suitable trainer to teach you in hand-to-hand fighting."

Antoine looked alternately confused as well as disappointed. "But why can you not be teaching me?"

"Speaking frankly, I'm just too big. My combat style is specifically tailored for a large hoofed Mobian, not a nearly four foot tall canine with a fairly different set of natural defenses and abilities. Would you not want Lupe to be your teacher, or… Bunnie there? I believe you told me before that she can fight. Is this so miss?"

"No!" Antoine snapped. Memories of the time when Bunnie had unsuccessfully tried teaching him _judo_ resurfaced in Antoine's head. She had been so convinced that she could show him everything he needed to know with just one simple lesson. On that miserable day, several hours had passed by, and Antoine just wasn't able to effectively perform the techniques she'd asked him to mimic. Bunnie had ended up shouting at him in anger. He did not wish to be berated again, and was certain she didn't want to bother with trying to teach him again when it hadn't worked the first time. Looking back now, he seriously doubted that it had taken _her_ a single session with Sally to become as tough a fighter as she was. It was one of the major incidents that gave him good cause to doubt the strength of their friendship in the first place. "Uh, that is - I mean… yes. Yes, she can fight." He said, trying to speak more calmly. "But I am sure that Bunnie has much more important things to be doing with her time. Freedom fighting and styling hair is keeping her a busy body, after all!"

Stormblaze's gaze traveled quizzically between the pair. Something had happened between them. What, he had no clue. Antoine had related a great deal to him about the other Knotholers, so Stormblaze knew that he had his reservations about Bunnie, but he couldn't recall a specific reason as to why Antoine might refuse her aid. But if Antoine was not comfortable requesting her help, then Stormblaze wouldn't push him to. He would ask him what was going on later in private. "I notice that like Little Wolf here your accent differs from your fellows." He addressed Bunnie. "Whereabouts are you from?"

The speedy manner in which Antoine had shot down Stormblaze's suggestion hadn't gone unnoticed by Bunnie either. But Stormblaze's question pulled her attention away from the matter. "Oh, my hometown's pretty far south of here. Just about everybody there talks like me."

Antoine noticed Stormblaze's look, but just barely met his eye. He was glad that he kept his bewilderment to himself. He hadn't told Stormblaze about the incident in question, but it had stayed with him long after it'd happened, one more in a long list of events that Antoine wished he could extinguish from memory.

"Ah. I am not yet all that familiar with the Continent. Most of my traveling was done in Meirona. So you are a transplant?"

"Yep. Originally I traveled up here to stay with my aunt Myrtle. Bluegrass is a nice town and all, but small. I wanted to see new places and people and heard that good hairdressers were in high demand in the big northern cities like Northamer. But I never counted on runnin' into Robotnik, and well, the rest is history."

Antoine was familiar with the story of why Bunnie had come to Northamer, having heard it before. He allowed the unlikely pair to continue conversing while he composed himself by preening his headfur and gathered his thoughts.

"I know that feeling of wishing to leave home to discover newer and better things." Stormblaze said. "Who knows, perhaps you may actually like Avalonia when you and your friends go there to see the queen."

"I'd sure love to see it." Bunnie smiled. "Even though it ain't supposed to be no vacation, it'd still be nice to get out of Knothole and go someplace new. Maybe someday after all this fightin' is over with I could visit Meirona too, see what kind of hairstyles and fashions are hot there."

"Oh you would like Meirona, of that I am certain. It seems you're more into the spirit of travel then some of your compatriots. It's good to see that in someone so young."

"Oh, don't you worry none about them. Rotor's a tried and true homebody, but he's harmless. And Sonic just runs his mouth a lot." She missed the face of displeasure Antoine made at that, but Stormblaze didn't.

"Well, it was quite a pleasure speaking with you, but I believe I shall let you two have the rest of the afternoon to yourselves. After all, I do not have the monopoly on Master D'Coolette's time. That is who you are here to see, yes? I bid you a good day, Miss Bunnie." He strolled off into the forest, but not before winking at Antoine first.

"Interesting feller." Bunnie commented once Stormblaze had left. "He ain't at all what I thought a unicorn would be like."

"Interesting is a good way to describe him, _oui_. I know at times he seems a little… standing off, but when you get to know him, he really is very wise and true and understanding. Were it not for him, I would not be here now."

"You talkin' about how he saved your life on ya'll's quest?" For Bunnie, that was one part of Antoine's story which had vividly stood out to her. A Combot had had Antoine at its mercy, but then Stormblaze came to his rescue and destroyed the thing.

"Well, that and… I was thinking about never returning here. But Stormblaze and Queen Cassiopeia convinced _moi_ that I should."

His admission left Bunnie startled. Antoine had actually considered not coming back to Knothole? She knew he felt like he didn't fit in with the other Knothole Freedom Fighters, especially in the weeks prior to his leaving, but she never realized that things were so bad for him that he didn't want to come home. Yeah, he could be whiney at times, and the way he'd carry on over Sally did grate on her nerves, but Bunnie never wanted him to permanently leave or wished ill upon on him. "Well, I'm glad they did. Things 'round here just wouldn't have been the same without you."

Antoine laughed a little, the sound painfully awkward. "Well, I am not really thinking so. But they were helping me to realize there was something important I needed to do here… tell you that I am being very sorry."

"Sorry for what, sugah?"

Keeping his eyes averted from her, he ran a hand through his damp headfur. "For being such a childish person and just – just the silly manner in which I was behaving before I left. Whenever I acted like I knew everything, I was not realizing how foolish and pompous it made me look. I just wished to impress all of you. Sally and the others are smart and capable, and I want to be seen that way too because I have never been feeling that way before." He cast a sheepish look at her from out of the corner of his eye. "But now I am understanding why you like the other Freedom Fighters better then you do _moi_."

Bunnie's eyebrows shot up. "You really think that?"

"It seems that way." Came the unexpectedly blunt response. "Remember the time Tatiana was staying here? I overheard you and Sally speaking with her about how you both wished to see Tails be trained. She suggested me for his mentor, but clearly it was being as a joke. And neither of you were saying anything in my defense, so it seemed like you agreed with her. I was not… eavesdropping." He added, glad he was able to recall the word. "I was going to the well and Sally's window was open, so that is how I was hearing all of that. Now, I know I am not being much of a man. And I know people can have stronger friendships with one person then they do another. But I do _not_ like being laughed at behind my back. At least have the decency and courage to tell me what you are really thinking of me to my face!" He could feel himself growing steadily irritated, not just at Sally but Bunnie as well. It was so hypocritical how the two of them acted as though they were so above the antics of someone like Sonic, but then in private would resort to badmouthing him. And sometimes they didn't even bother disguising their contempt for him.

Tatiana was a tiger whose parents had been part of the group of senior Freedom Fighters who had initially trained the Knothole crew, so she had been around from the time Antoine and the others had been preteens. Eventually her parents had moved away in order to be with relatives in the Northern Territories, but Tatiana would drop by Knothole every now and again to visit her friends there, Sally and Sonic especially. Antoine had had no idea that she held such contempt for him as she did. She'd always put on a show of talking sweetly to him whenever they would run into each other. He had even wondered if she possibly had feelings for him. After the Tails incident though, he made a habit out of avoiding her if he could do so. After all, there was no telling what other kinds of hateful things she had said about him behind his back to the other Knotholers – who, knowing them, went right along with her. But Antoine had learned his lesson. She wouldn't trick him again.

Bunnie had been curiously silent ever since he first brought up Tatiana's name, but finally began to speak. "I'm sorry you heard all that, Twan. I shoulda told Tatiana to knock it off, but... I can't tell you why I didn't say anything, because I honestly don't know why I didn't. I can't speak for Sally, since I don't know what was goin' on inside her head then. For the record though, I don't agree with a thing Tatiana said – or with what you just said about yourself not being much of a man. There's more to being manly then just struttin' around with your chest all stuck out like a rooster and acting tough. For one thing, a real man's loyal to his friends – just like you've been to us all these years. Why else would you make yourself keep comin' on all them missions with us even though you were scared as heck?"

He gave a petulant shrug of his shoulders, focusing his vision on a stray leaf floating past them in the creek. The subject of masculinity and what it really meant had cropped up before in Antoine and Stormblaze's chats together. He had never really thought about the reason why he felt compelled to accompany the other Freedom Fighters before. Bunnie sounded like Stormblaze, which Antoine found startling. He had told Antoine the same thing before. Antoine had felt that his tagging along with the team wasn't the same thing as Sonic's going up against Robotnik and his creations and how he and the others appeared to show no fear in the face of danger. But if Bunnie echoed similar sentiments, then did that really corroborate Stormblaze's words - that Antoine had never really been a coward like he had originally thought? Considering the source though, he was unsure about believing anything she said. Bunnie might have been just like Sally, saying one thing when her behavior clearly demonstrated otherwise. A kindly pat on his shoulder stirred him from his contemplations.

"Listen, Source knows ain't none us of perfect, even Sally. I never thought you were a bad guy, even when you was actin' less then admirably. You just needed to find yourself was all, and you've been on the right track. And I don't rank friends. You, Sally, Sonic, Tails, everybody else – you're all my friends, and I wouldn't trade that for nothin'!"

Arching an eyebrow, Antoine eyed the rabbit suspiciously. "You are seriously thinking of me as your friend? How do I know this is not a practical joke or some sort of false niceness?"

The hurt look on her face just then made Antoine hastily glance away and scratch awkwardly at the back of his neck. As embittered as he felt, perhaps he could have stood to be a little less harsh with his words.

"Why do you think I'm lyin'? If I didn't care for you, I'd just say so."

"Well… it is often _tres_ difficult for me to…" He struggled to put his explanation into English, "see what other Mobians are really thinking and saying. _Really_ see. For example, Sally and Rotor would say things to _moi_ that I thought were the truth, yet I was unable to see that was not the case at all. I know I have upset you before, and you have not always been so nice to _moi_ , so I am unsure if you actually are my friend or simply pretending to be. To keep up appearances, you know."

"Everyone gets sore at their friends sometimes. That's only natural. But I do reckon I might've gone a mite overboard here and there and could've stood to have been a better friend to you, like durin' that whole Tatiana mess. Is the real reason you didn't want me trainin' you earlier because of that _judo_ lesson we tried to do before?"

He nodded.

"Listen, I'm awful sorry for losin' my cool with you like that. It wasn't fair of me to expect you to become a pro straight off the bat. I never stopped to think about how you might've felt after that. None of us ever really have, I suppose. Instead of reachin' out to you, it was just easier for us to treat you like a lost cause and leave you to your own devices." Shamefaced herself now, Bunnie's light green eyes looked away from Antoine, back towards the creek.

She wasn't trying to defend her actions, or downplay the things she had done to him like a person who felt justified in their actions would've done. Reaching a hand out, he touched her shoulder. When she turned to look at him, he flashed her a watery smile. " _Merci beau coup,_ Bunnie. You are not knowing how good it is to hear all that. Just knowing there are people around here who actually care about me and my feelings when it is seeming like there is hardly anyone who does… it makes me feel quite good. I really do not wish to stop being your friend – you are such a remarkable, wonderful person to know. We all make mistakes, but these mistakes you and I were making in the past – we must learn from them so they are not happening again and hurting our friendship, no?" This earned a nod from her. "After the quest, there are many things that… I guess I am not as sure about as I once was, so now I am trying to better understand myself and the world around me. But I am wishing to start things over between us with a fresh slate. Is this acceptable to you?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Very well." Standing, he performed an elegant bow in her direction before sticking out an open hand. "How do you, _mademoiselle_? I am Antoine D'Coolette."

Pushing herself to her feet, she accepted his hand and pumped it heartily. "Bunnie Rabbot. Nice to meet you, Antoine."

The two of them were beaming like fools at one another the entire time. Antoine's faith in Bunnie was restored. At first, he honestly had no idea how she would react to the things he'd told her, especially the more potentially inflammatory things. He meant what he said about her apology meaning so much to him. Her apology meant that she actually considered him and his feelings valid. One didn't apologize to someone that they disliked, right?

"Speaking of Sally, you and her ?…" Bunnie left the question and its implication hanging in the air. But after a moment, she realized Antoine didn't understand what she was getting at and clarified it for him. "I was just wantin' to know if you were still sweet on her or not. It's just that I notice you don't act the way you used to around her - or talk about her like you used to for that matter."

' _Sweet on?…'_ Antoine puzzled over what she could possibly mean by that before his eyes widened in understanding. Between her southernisms and Sonic's slang, sometimes he didn't know who was more confusing. "Oh! You are meaning if I still have feelings for her?" Bunnie nodded. "Let us just say that during the quest, _mon_ eyes were opened and I am finally seeing she is not who I thought she was." He smiled a rather bitter smile.

"What do you mean?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "If you do not mind, I would rather not say. Besides, I do not wish to be impolite. I know she is being your good _ami_."

' _Wow. What happened to sour him so bad on Sal-gal?'_ Bunnie wondered. She had a feeling it wasn't solely just the Tatiana thing that had put him off her. A part of Bunnie still couldn't reconcile the Antoine who had been so keen on courting Sally with this new Antoine. "Oh no, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Antoine nodded gratefully. After a moment though, he commented, "I can tell you this - can you believe that I have known her for most of my life, and yet I still feel like I am not knowing who she is beyond being leader and King Maximilian's daughter? I cannot tell you what is the one place on Mobius that she would most love to visit, or what her favorite meal is, or anything like that."

Bunnie understood what he was talking about. Sally could certainly be distant and inscrutable - prickly even, especially as time had worn on. Just in the past year being around her and Sonic tended to make Bunnie feel like a third wheel or a burden. And when Sally wasn't spending time in Sonic's company, she tended to stay cooped up in her hut. Considering the fact that she almost never went out of her way to interact with Antoine unless it was time for a mission, it wasn't any wonder to Bunnie that he didn't know much about her. Bunnie couldn't really be mad at Sally though. She and Sonic had grown up together, while Bunnie was basically the newcomer, the interloper. Then there were all the things Sally had had to deal with in her life. Still, it would've been nice if there other Mobians around for Bunnie to laugh and talk with, since it seemed like Sally no longer really did that kind of thing anymore.

Antoine's voice brought Bunnie out of her ruminations on the other girl. "I also am thinking part of my – er, sweetness on Sally, as you are calling it, was being that when I wanted to be a knight, I thought I would need a princess to woo. I did not need to travel far away to find a princess when there was one right here in Knothole. But that was not real love." Disappointment crept into his tone.

"Wait - 'when I wanted to be a knight'? So you don't wanna be one anymore? But I thought it's what you wanted to do to make your daddy proud?" She knew how highly Antoine thought of his father.

"I thought so too, but now I do not know what I want to do anymore." He shrugged helplessly. "I would still like to do good by my father's name, but I am needing to become my own person and walk my own path. I cannot just copycat papa."

"Well, don't try to rush it, sugah. I'm sure you'll find a career you like. What about being a chef?"

"I am enjoying cooking, this is true, but I do not know about making it a job. Cooking for the Maddogs made me realize that being a chef is not a job I wish to permanently have. I think I would like to do something that is letting _moi_ help others in a more life-changing way somehow."

"Well, what if you did something like what Stormblaze does for you? Being a teacher or a mentor? I don't think you'd make such a horrible mentor for Tails."

Antoine chuckled lightly. "Perhaps. Right now, I think I am still a bit too young though."

* * *

Bunnie jogged across the north path back into Knothole proper. She stopped before Antoine, who was leaning up against a tree casually examining his claws. Both were on the northernmost edge of the village, which was near Rotor's workshop.

"Okay, so what did I say?" Bunnie managed to get out between hurried pants.

Looking up, he grinned and recited her words back at her. "You were saying 'crazy cavies crunch carrots in Cordovan'. Whatever that means."

While on their way back to Knothole together, Antoine had shared with Bunnie something he'd kept a secret from the other Knotholers. Not his intense experience with the Skinwalker, but the fact that his sense of hearing was abnormally sharp, so much so that Stormblaze actually thought it could qualify as a power. Her curiosity piqued, Bunnie wanted to test out just how good it was, so she had him to wait in Knothole while she went out to the forest. There, she would say something and see if he could pick it up.

"It's just something called a tongue twister. You say 'em for fun. But that is amazin', Antoine! Do you know how handy this is gonna be on our missions? Did you tell Sally about this?"

He glanced away from her, his smile now gone. "I do not know about that… I was actually not planning to tell anyone, even you. They will only think I am lying or boasting. Which is being understandable." He admitted after a moment.

"Well, they can't not believe you - not with a witness to back ya up." She jerked a thumb at herself.

He considered this before answering, "May I be thinking about it first?"

"Sure sugah. Your power, your choice." She kindly told him.

A ghost of a smile crept back onto his face. " _Oui_. It is, isn't it?" Although a few months had gone by since this surprising revelation, it still felt good to Antoine, knowing he actually had a unique power of his own and being able to show someone else what he was capable of. For the longest time he hadn't understood why he could hear things that other Mobians couldn't. It had been bad enough to make him start doubting his own sanity.

The two companions were unaware that somebody had been observing them in silence ever since they'd returned from the creek. The shade covering the back window of Rotor's workshop was pulled down, shutting out the scene of the coydog and the rabbit as they continued talking with each other.

 **French translations:**

Ami: Friend.

Merci: Thank you. "Merci beau coup" means "thank you very much".

Tres: Very.


	4. Luck Be A Lady

**Chapter Four: Luck Be A Lady**

Antoine's mood was buoyant as he walked into his hut, and not just because he was home now either. However, his hut did serve as a sort of a safe haven for him. There, he could escape from the turmoil of the outside world as well as Sonic and his cronies and just simply do what he wanted to - escape into a book, clean, listen to his favorite songs, prepare a meal, clean.

On his first day back in Knothole, his reaction to his hut had been significantly different. It was familiar, certainly. He was the one who had changed. The sight of the simple yet classically-decorated little house had practically caused him to stagger slightly as he stepped past the threshold and came to stand in his parlor room. He needed to sit down on his sofa to take everything all in. It was almost like stranger had lived there previously.

Thankfully, the strange sensation had gone away for the most part once he started sleeping in his own bed and washing up in his washroom again. However, there were a few things around his hut he decided needed to be changed. He made certain to find and trash every single poem dedicated to Sally that he had ever penned, as that was something from his past and he wanted to start looking forward (though there was some acrimony towards her in his actions as well), and of course, started displaying his father's uniform.

Antoine thought that a quick shower would be prudent after his and Stormblaze's impulsive water fight down at the creek. The entre time Bunnie's suggestion still lingered on his mind. The both of them could have gone and told Sally about his enhanced hearing, but what would that have changed between her and Antoine, really? Sally would have been impressed, but he didn't want her to start liking him simply because he could do something extraordinary and she felt he could finally be of use to her. He wanted her to like him for him. Ultimately, it would probably be for the best if he kept his newfound power to himself, and swear Bunnie to secrecy about it as well.

At any rate, Antoine was thrilled by how his discussion with Bunnie had gone. Who should he try next? He had asked Stormblaze if he should perhaps approach the other Freedom Fighters in some sort of organized sequence, like their rank on the team, or start with the tallest and move onto the shortest. The boys first and then Sally? In response, Stormblaze told him that it would be best if he started with the one person who was the most difficult for him to converse with. Antoine supposed that fell to Sonic and Rotor.

Antoine had grown weary of Rotor over the years. At least with Sonic Antoine knew where he stood. But with Rotor, his attitude towards Antoine ran hot and cold, to borrow a new phrase he had heard Bunnie use. Faux niceness and insults whispered behind one's back somehow seemed more insidious then open hatred. At one time Sally had attempted to pair the two of them together in a partnership, with Antoine acting as Rotor's assistant, but it had come to naught and Antoine wound leaving the position after a month. He'd tried to stay on for as long as possible, but he knew when he wasn't wanted. Rotor had quickly made it clear that he thought Antoine was a menace in his workshop, messing up things more than helping. Antoine was unsure as to why Sally believed such a harebrained scheme had been a good plan to begin with – Antoine knew as much about machines and electronics as Sally did the culinary arts.

In the time he had spent with Rotor, Antoine had picked up a scant bit of knowledge about the very introverted mechanic and technician. He wondered how much Sonic, Bunnie, Dulcy, and Sally, all of whom were far closer to him then Antoine had ever been, even knew about Rotor. To Antoine, having Rotor around sometimes felt like the equivalent of having a complete stranger off of Robotropolis' streets staying there in Knothole with him. He knew the others did not feel that way, of course. Rotor didn't share very much about himself, or at least he barely would in Antoine's presence. He didn't want Antoine looking through his workshop unless he himself was present. He knew Rotor didn't like to be disturbed while in his workshop, and didn't like to be watched while he worked. He didn't like a lot of things, it seemed.

Having finished showering, Antoine thoroughly dried his wet fur off and put on an olive green tunic. He supposed he should go check Rotor's workshop first. It was the last place in Knothole Antoine wanted to be, but he needed to find Rotor. He would see if he was there, and if he was, wait for him to come out. After all, if he was holed up inside, then it probably wasn't a good idea for him to go knocking on the door. Antoine was loath at the thought of hanging around to keep an eye on the workshop for Source knew only how long, but at the same time, he knew if he postponed this, then he knew he was never going to regain the courage needed to confront Rotor.

Steeling himself, Antoine left his hut and started walking in a northerly version. When he finally spied the workshop, he first surreptitiously glanced around to see if he was being observed. But it seemed like the other Knotholers were either elsewhere that day or at their own homes, so he crept towards the modest building. The blind covering the sole window was shut, but hadn't been pulled all the way down, so Antoine could take a little peek inside. Looking in though, he didn't spot Rotor anywhere.

He was all out of ideas for other places Rotor might be. Was he over at Sonic or Sally's? Perhaps he could go and ask Bunnie if she had seen him?

A new idea suddenly occurred to him, and he could have smacked himself for not having thought of it sooner. There was a perfectly good way of locating Rotor right at his disposal! He began lightly sniffing around the workshop's front and back entrances. Even though the fellow himself wasn't present, Rotor's scent, an odd mingling of fish and penetrating oil, was concentrated around the front, and it wasn't very old either.

The scent trail led from the workshop all the way to the Ring Grotto. It didn't take Antoine long to get there, given that the grotto was in the same sector of the village Rotor's workshop was. His nose hadn't failed him – sure enough, Rotor was sitting on the edge of the pool, his back to Antoine. He was all by himself too. Perfect. It struck Antoine as peculiar though – Rotor had Mobians around who were his good friends that he could spend time with, and yet he still chose solitude. Antoine couldn't quite wrap his mind around that. He wished that he could have had close friends like that in the days before his quest.

"Hello Rotor. Are you being busy?" He asked, walking closer to where the walrus was. He hoped he caught Rotor in a pleasant mood, though it was rather difficult to be friendly towards him all things considered. Well, Antoine just needed to fake friendliness for the moment. If things worked out, then maybe he wouldn't have to pretend anymore. He and Rotor could be genuinely cordial with one another. That certainly would be nice.

Rotor partly turned himself around in order to better look at Antoine, the expression on his face a cryptic one, before resuming his original position. His flippers were submerged in the clear water "Guess not."

"I wish to talk with you. Is that alright?"

"Okay."

"My attitude in the past… it was most uncalled for, and childish. I am truly sorry. And I would like to forgive you for how you have treated me."

"Oh. Sure then."

Antoine's brows lowered. Rotor wasn't even looking at him. Antoine felt like he might as well have been trying to carry on a deep, meaningful conversation with Rosie's sewing machine.

"Um, is that all you are having to say?"

"Am I supposed to say something else?"

"Were you not hearing what I just said? I am apologizing to you for being a nuisance." Was Rotor being sarcastic or playing at some peculiar game perhaps?

"I heard. What, do you want me to give you a medal?"

"I was not asking for anything in the first place!" Now an angry growl seeped into Antoine's tone. "I am trying to be the biggest person here!"

"'Biggest person?' I don't even know what you're going on about now. And if you're going to start wigging out on me just because I'm not bowing and scraping to you, then I doubt you really have changed like you claim to."

Antoine was furious now. "On second thought then, I will be taking back _mon_ apology!"

Rotor said nothing, signaling that their 'conversation' was over. For once Antoine agreed with him, and stamped off back the way he had come. He was through trying to speak to someone who clearly would never like him regardless of what he did.

* * *

Another day had dawned in Northamer. While hazy and humid, it didn't seem as if rain was on the schedule – at least not until later that evening. Stormblaze was standing on the cliff tops of Tanforan. He didn't care for the heat, being more of the cold-natured type, but was making a valiant effort to ignore it. It had become a favored position for him from which to survey the land. Often he would find himself gazing at the horizon, wondering what lay out there. The only thing disfiguring the otherwise perfect view was the hideous gray form that was the city of Robotropolis. Once – _if_ more unicorns were discovered, then perhaps they could join forces with the Resistance and get rid of Robotnik once and for all.

He and Antoine would be out there any day now, combing the rocky backcountry and mountainsides of the northern and western regions of Great Continent for more unicorns. But where would they start? And just how long would their search take? As desperate as Stormblaze was to meet others of his kind who weren't like the small-minded fools on Avalonia, he also recognized the possibility of Antoine aging into an elderly male before they ever found a sign of even a single unicorn. Stormblaze had a long lifespan and no romantic partner or family tying him down, so he had all the time in the world to search. Did he really want his young friend to spend his life out on the road partaking in a possibly fruitless quest? Antoine had shared with him his hopes and dreams of meeting the right girl some day, marriage, even beginning a family. Stormblaze knew the boy would do just about anything he asked of him - maybe even toss aside his own aspirations just to help him.

Never had anyone looked up to Stormblaze the way Antoine did. At times it could almost be a little embarrassing. Antoine was quick to sing his praises to others, like how at one point during the luncheon he was telling Tails, Rosie, Dylan, Penelope, Hamlin, and some of the others about the times Stormblaze battled a very formidable lackey of Ixis Naugus' by the name of Kodos on the quest. If Stormblaze jumped off a bridge, Antoine probably would've followed suit. The idea of serving as a role model for someone so young and so willing to place his faith in him could be rather daunting at times. He never wanted to lead Antoine astray. Not ever.

Turning away from the sight, Stormblaze gave a start. Standing behind him was Antoine, hands folded in front of him as he regarded Stormblaze. Normally it was difficult for anyone to take Stormblaze by surprise. He must have been lost in thought if he hadn't heard Antoine approach. "Trying to steal my stealth trick are you?"

" _Non_. _Mon_ apologies." Antoine answered respectfully. "You were seeming like you were deeply thinking about something. I was not wishing to interrupt."

"I tease, little wolf." Stormblaze rubbed his head. Antoine had told him all about his attempt to reconcile with Rotor yesterday. Yes, Stormblaze had heard all about Rotor before and how he often treated Antoine, and it made his blood boil. Although he had done his best to comfort him after this most recent incident (other than use his telempathy), Antoine had been in an ill temper for much of the remainder of the day. Today however, his mood seemed to have improved, so Stormblaze thought it'd be a perfect time for Antoine to get some training in. "Well, time to get down to business, eh? Today I'd like for you to perform a negative chin-up."

Antoine's expression indicated that he had not one clue what a negative chin-up was.

"Chin-ups - negative and otherwise - aid one in developing upper body strength." Stormblaze explained. "Here, come and I'll show you how to do one."

Together Stormblaze and Antoine left the cliff behind and headed towards the tree line behind them. Stormblaze stopped to indicate one particular long sturdy branch protruding from the trunk of a big tree in front of them. It grew over the top of Antoine's head, and a little bench had been set under it.

"Now, I'd gladly demonstrate for you myself, but as none of these branches are strong enough to support my weight, all I'd do is end up with a bruised backside. Step up please."

Antoine did as instructed, getting up on top of the bench. Now the branch was directly within his sight. Seeing that the bench remained steady, Stormblaze nodded his approval. "That works out splendidly. Now, all you have to do is merely grab the branch like so -" For Antoine's benefit, he grabbed hold of a branch hanging over his own head using an underhand grip, keeping his palms facing his chest, "leap up, then lower yourself in a slow, controlled manner. Don't swing yourself or anything. You must keep your body stable. If you're up for a second one, then get back on the bench and do it all over again."

Antoine looked at his branch. "That is all there is being to it?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'd like for you to attempt one today. Two if you feel up to it."

"One? Just one negative chin-up?"

Stormblaze nodded and stepped aside so he could start.

"That is not sounding too hard." Antoine had been expecting to hear something like "do fifty of them".

But attempting a negative chin-up turned out to be surprisingly difficult. Groaning and audibly straining, Antoine struggled to lower himself the way Stormblaze had shown him.

Stormblaze chose to make himself comfortable nearby just in case Antoine needed anything. He'd bought along a small black-and-gray cooler containing a couple of bottles of cold water for them both to enjoy, as well as a book that Antoine had loaned him. Settling down on the grass, he began to read.

All Antoine managed to accomplish was a grand total of one negative chin-up, and it took several minutes just for him to be able to do it. Exhausted, he released his grip and landed on his feet. He leaned forward, massaging his tired arms as he did. He wondered just how on Mobius how he was going to be able perform another negative chin-up. This was _much_ harder then learning how to fight with a sword.

Seeing what he was doing, Stormblaze came to crouch down beside him. "Listen, I know that wasn't as easy as I made it sound. You do one today, tomorrow you will do two. Next time three. And so on and so forth. The more you do, the more you improve. Soon, you'll have built up enough strength to do a full chin-up or pull-up."

"Wow. You're gonna have to do like a thousand of those if _you_ ever wanna get into shape, Antsy." A familiar voice laughed.

Antoine's head shot up, as did Stormblaze's, just in time to see Sonic and Rotor saunter into view towards them.

Antoine's first instinct was to glare at Sonic, but instead, a mischievous smile spread over his face. " _Merci_ for the advice, Sonic. Perhaps when I am being done here, we can go to the lake and I could be teaching you how to swim." It was a jab at Sonic's well-known aversion to water.

Sonic sneered. "Yeah, well, maybe you oughta get laughing boy over there to -"

"What are you two doing here?" Stormblaze strode right up to Sonic and Rotor, literally looking down his nose at the two of them. "Be gone, pests." He swept his hand at them in a "shoo" gesture. Stormblaze had given Sonic plenty of reason to dislike him, and it was clear the boy fancied himself as his superior. And Rotor seemed to have taken some sort of issue with Stormblaze ever since he had come to town. He hadn't been hospitable in any way. Rosie's luncheon was the only time Rotor had ever said so much as a single word to him. If Stormblaze had to guess at why, Rotor wasn't just aloof, but also didn't like the fact that Stormblaze had no problems antagonizing Sonic. His closeness to Antoine was probably another black mark in Rotor's book. Rotor reminded Stormblaze of the unicorns who made up his old foe Prince Rience's entourage back on Avalonia. Typically, much of their time was spent guffawing like hyenas whenever Rience would make some snide comment and generally acting as his sycophants. Sonic and Rotor were fortunate that Stormblaze was nothing like Rience or Keeper, his sour old uncle. If they had displayed such naked disrespect towards either, then they would've earned a cuff to the head and a sharp rebuke for not knowing their places. But Stormblaze didn't believe that other creatures needed to "know their places" in the presence of unicorns, not even Sonic and Rotor.

Sonic held up his hands to stay Stormblaze. "Hey, hold on now horn-head. I was just doing some thinkin'. We got a little game here in the outside world we call paintball. You're supposed to be so good with that bow and arrow of yours, so I wonder if you'd be any good with a paintball gun in your hands."

Stormblaze set his hands on his hips. "Are you saying you wish to meet me in a challenge?"

"Well I ain't askin' for your number. And you can bring Ant along too. The two of you versus me and Rotor at noon."

The fact that Sonic was the only one between Rotor and himself who was speaking only lent further credence to Stormblaze's theory about Rotor's being the reserved Freedom Fighter who let others do all the talking for him. As he looked between them, Stormblaze reached out with his telempathy. They were serious, no hint of deception. He could however read the contempt each boy held for him and Antoine both. Stormblaze had no clue what paintball was other than that it was apparently some sort of sport played with a gun. Was it really in his best interest to take part in a game he knew nothing of with two people who were more than likely intending to show him (and Antoine as well) up? He considered Sonic's proposal.

All three were surprised when Antoine marched up and stared Sonic and Rotor down. "We accept!"

Sonic grinned triumphantly. "Alright. See you back in Knothole, Antsy! Have fun with your uh, 'training' there." Walking off, he and Rotor could be heard laughing derisively between themselves.

Once Sonic and Rotor departed, Antoine stomped back over to his tree, where in one leap he took hold of the branch. He then performed in succession three negative chin-ups, talking to himself very furiously in French all the while.

Stormblaze regarded him with wonder. He couldn't say that he had never seen Antoine mad before, because he had a few times, but when he was genuinely livid and not just merely cross, it was truly something to see. That was certainly the case now as Antoine performed his fourth chin-ups with a growl. "What did you just say?

"That those two are being the lowest of the low and how much I am detesting them!"

Realizing anger was a powerful motivator for him, Stormblaze stashed that fact away in his mind. "Listen, do not worry about them. Take several deep breaths."

Antoine released the branch and dropped back down on the bench. Taking in a deep breath, he began slowly inhaling and exhaling, his face still a storm cloud.

"Upsetting you was precisely what they wanted." Stormblaze approached him. "Don't let him or his friend win."

"I know. I apologize." Antoine nodded, somewhat ashamed now that his anger was beginning to ebb away. "Sonic is still knowing how to strike _mon_ buttons, I suppose."

"Well, it has only been three days since you've returned. Learning how to control one's emotions takes time." Indeed, he had previously cautioned Antoine about letting his emotions get the best of him. He knew how tough it could be for someone who wasn't subtle about displaying what they happened to be feeling like Antoine was, but Stormblaze was positive he would be able do it in time. "Sir Connery taught me a little trick to calm one's self down, you know."

Antoine perked up. Any advice that came from Stormblaze's late mentor and his father's right-hand man was bound to be good. Sir Connery's reputation as King Maximilian's most prized and trusted knight preceded him, and according to Stormblaze, every bit of it was true.

"Right then," Stormblaze began, seeing that Antoine's full attention was on him. "If you ever feel upset, anxious, or angered, begin counting. Go as high as you need to until you finally feel calm again."

"That is sounding simple enough."

"Well, the simplest solution is the best solution, I always say."

"Do you believe it could really work for me?"

"It kept Connery from losing his temper and doing something rash when three pieces of Overlander scum insulted him and the memories of his slain comrades-in-arms at the treaty signing at Wettin. He knew he could not jeopardize everything the Alliance had worked so hard to achieve. Otherwise those three would have received a sound and might I add very well-deserved pounding, let me tell you." The Great War was a fairly common subject between him and Antoine, considering that both Armand and Connery had fought together in it.

Antoine was pleased by his response. And getting to hear about Sir Connery was always a plus in his book. "From now on I will be doing this then! _Merci_ , Stormblaze!"

"Think nothing of it. I'm just doing my duty as a good teacher and friend."

"Merely good? _Non_ ," Shaking his head, Antoine then waved a hand at him. "You are one of the best teachers – and friends - I was ever having before!"

Clearing his throat, Stormblaze had to look away, ears growing steadily warmer in his self-conscious state. But he favored Antoine with a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Better then Sir Joram?" Sir Joram was a much-admired teacher of Antoine's during his days at La Valette Military Academy. Antoine had mentioned him to Stormblaze a number of times before.

Antoine smiled. "Well with you around, he is having very stiff competition."

An affectionate chuckle rumbled up from Stormblaze's throat. "Come. Let's return to Tanforan. You performed more than admirably here today." He bent down to retrieve the bench, book, and the cooler.

"What were you thinking about earlier when I found you on the ridge?" Antoine asked as they started back.

"Oh, just…" He hesitated. "How I cannot wait to get out there and start searching for more unicorns."

Clasping his hands together, Antoine looked up at Stormblaze, sheer excitement animating his expression as well as his wagging tail. "Oh, me too! It will be _tres_ exciting, no?"

The admittedly endearing look on his face triggered a more genuine reaction from Stormblaze that time around, a warm smile. "Things are always exciting with you around, little wolf."

* * *

In a shaded glade out in the Great Forest, Stormblaze and Antoine were standing together on one side, Sonic and Rotor on the other. The remaining Knotholers, joined by the Lemurians, had also come out to watch the paintball game which was going to take place in the next few minutes.

Sonic was grinning smugly, and even Rotor wore a little smirk as the two of them watched Stormblaze hold up the paintball gun he'd been given and study it, obviously unused to such an instrument. Nearby Antoine clutched his own gun, trepidation painted on his face.

Sally, who'd been designated referee, was busy laying out the ground rules for both sides to follow. "…you can't go any further then the southwestern edge of the forest. Otherwise, you have the run of the entire area. Once your opponent is down, you can't continue shooting him…"

Antoine was trying his best to listen Sally (why, he didn't know – it wasn't as if they had never done this before numerous times), but memories of past "games" were returning to haunt him like vindictive spirits. Still, at least this type of field training was far more preferable to the times when he had to run the obstacle course while Rotor was manning the gun tower. He wasn't scared of Rotor and Sonic – oh, _they wished_ – but he really hated having to clean paint off his fur and clothes and being drenched by ice-cold water balloons. Getting shot with paintballs was hardly what he would describe as a pleasurable sensation either. The two boys knew all of that perfectly well, Antoine was sure of it. He muttered to Stormblaze, "You know, I am thinking I was firing my mouth off earlier when I was challenging them…"

Lowering his gun, Stormblaze leaned down so that he could be more on Antoine's level. "You mean shooting your mouth off?" He whispered back.

Still uneasy, Antoine nodded.

"Come now, this is your golden opportunity to shut those two wretches up!"

"But I am no good at paintball!"

"Ah, but that was before, when you had no training and worse still, no Stormblaze in your corner." He winked conspiratorially at Antoine. "Remember what I've taught you? Think about your special talents and the advantages that are unique to you. Use them. And of course, do not allow emotion to get the better of you."

"But what about you? You have never be -"

"Hey, you two about done setting up your date for tonight? I'm _waiting_!"

Antoine and Stormblaze turned to look over at their rivals, who were watching them. Sonic's arms were crossed, and his right foot tapped out a rapid beat on the ground.

"This is gonna be just like old times, huh Antoine?" Rotor gave him a beatific smile. To anyone who happened to be observing him, Rotor sounded and appeared innocent enough, but Antoine knew better. He could read the derisive undertone in the heavyset boy's voice like a book. Coldly he regarded Rotor for a moment before taking Stormblaze's gun from him. "Here. Let me show you how to fire. This is being the trigger. You aim the gun, press the trigger -" Raising the gun, he suddenly fired a shot Rotor's way.

"Hey!" Startled, Rotor jumped back as fast as his short legs were able to hustle him. But Antoine had only been targeting the ground near his flippers, where the paintball ended up splattering.

Sonic glared at Antoine. "What's your problem, man?"

"Antoine, you have to wait until I tell you can start." Sally chastened him.

Antoine shrugged. "Accident." His lack of remorse was visible.

"Thank you very much for that demonstration." Stormblaze snickered as he was handed his gun back. "I believe I have the jist now."

Sally regarded Antoine in disapproval, his out-of-character action also serving to raise question marks in her mind. Since it seemed like he wasn't going to try pulling a stunt like that again though, she decided to set aside her concerns for the time being and refocus on the competition. Personally though, the whole affair struck her as a silly waste of time that could be better spent planning their next mission, or taking care of that old dead limb on the big oak tree that functioned as one of Knothole's several lookout posts before it fell and hurt somebody. It was pretty obvious Sonic and Antoine just wanted to show each other up, as usual. Stormblaze was old enough to know better. She didn't understand how in the world Antoine had even talked him into going along with this absurd charade. "Alright then, ready? Set… Go!"

As soon as the word "go" left Sally's mouth, the four tore towards the trees like their lives depended on it. As they did, each team went in a separate direction so that they would be spread out and avoid running into each other too soon.

Catching sight of a tree with a trunk as tall and as thick around as a terrapod leg, Antoine ran over to it. He crouched down behind it before cautiously looking around to see if anybody else was there in the vicinity with him. But it seemed like he was the only one around. What had happened to Stormblaze?

Stormblaze. He had told him to think about his advantages. What were they?

Antoine happened to glance down at his tunic. He realized its cream color didn't stand out among the vegetation quite as much as his uniform had. Still, it didn't blend in nearly as well as Stormblaze's dark green tunic did either.

When it came to speed, Antoine knew he was no match for Sonic whatsoever. He was quite certain Sonic would be running around hunting for him and Stormblaze. He was going to have to avoid open areas if he didn't want to be caught. However, Antoine was without a doubt much faster than Rotor (on land, anyways), and could cover more ground easier and quicker as well.

Rotor was clever, Antoine could grudgingly admit that. Not just with machines and the like, but when it came to strategy as well. His favorite trick was to sit up in a tree or some other high spot and ambush targets, probably because of his lack of speed if Antoine had to guess. Sonic was smart too (something else Antoine was loathe to admit), but he was also reckless, brash, and couldn't keep still for long. Antoine knew he had more patience then Sonic did.

Then there were his ears of course. Antoine's fine sense of hearing would come in handy in his current situation. Ever since Stormblaze had pointed out that heightened hearing wasn't a curse but a blessing, Antoine had begun viewing it in a less negative light. He wanted to learn how to develop it and use it in different ways.

Antoine had never really considered analyzing his own weaknesses and strength as well as those of his adversaries whenever he participated in previous paintball challenges (he had never considered them "games". You were supposed to have fun when you played a game). Either he wound up overreacting to the slightest little thing and gave away his presence, or had become too cocky before being sure he had the advantage and got himself shot that way.

No doubt Rotor was aggrieved at Antoine for his having tried to shoot him earlier. He wasn't sure if Sonic was still upset with him as well, but it certainly seemed like it. So now there _two_ people who already didn't like him running around somewhere bent on revenge.

Antoine supposed that until he and Stormblaze found each other again, he was going to be operating solo. Lowering himself to the ground, Antoine began crawling towards an area he had taken notice of. A jagged rock which dwarfed Antoine projected out of the forest floor. It could provide him with even better cover then the tree did. While he moved he strained his ears, listening closely to see if he could hear anybody moving through the forest. Hopefully he would encounter Stormblaze at some point – before Sonic or Rotor did.

* * *

' _Perhaps I should've stuck with Little Wolf.'_ Stormblaze thought. It'd been the mad scramble to reach the forest first and the thrill of competition that had made him so excited he d lost his head. He was sure Antoine had been right behind him, but when he stopped running and turned around, he wasn't.

Now, sitting in his own hiding place among a thicket, Stormblaze didn't move a muscle as Sonic suddenly sprinted into view directly in front of him, stopped on a dime, and began to intently scan the area. He had no clue that only a few feet away was one of the Mobians he was searching for.

' _By the stars...'_ Stormblaze was gobsmacked as he watched Sonic take off again, presumably to resume searching. Until that moment he'd never actually witnessed Sonic in action. Yes, the hedgehog was renowned far and wide for his speed, but Stormblaze hadn't honestly been expecting him to be _that_ fast. He'd never seen any creature move like that before, not even among other unicorns, who were quite capable of running at great speeds if they ever felt inclined or needed to. It was no wonder that poor Antoine had lost so many of these paintball games. Well, that was ending today if Stormblaze could help it.

He knew full-well his parents and his uncle especially would think him silly for carrying on what was for all intents and purposes a feud with a couple of sixteen-year olds like this. But it wasn't like Antoine really had anyone else in his corner there in Knothole. Bunnie was certainly fond of him (a little more than merely the affection one friend had for another, if Stormblaze had to wager), that much he could sense, but Stormblaze questioned if she was really all that willing to go up against the likes of Sonic and Rotor to defend him. Tails got on with Antoine decently enough, but he was also a child, plus, there was the same issue with him that Bunnie had. If no one else was going to put Sonic and Rotor in their places, then it was up to him. But he was definitely going to have to call upon his brain and the element of surprise to win.

* * *

Antoine was on the move again in an effort to locate Stormblaze, Sonic, or Rotor. He darted from tree to tree, making sure to keep low to the ground so that he made for a harder target to hit. For the moment, avoiding Sonic and Rotor outweighed his aversion to getting dirty. Better some dirt and grass stains on his wardrobe then the much-maligned paint. He was also trying to move noiselessly as possible. He wished he could change himself into a unicorn. Nobody would've been able to find him then, not unless he wanted them to.

Whenever he thought he heard something, he froze. He waited as long as he felt he needed to – the longest amount of time so far had lasted ten minutes. Then, when he was reassured that everything was safe, resumed his trek. He was alternately hunting and trying to avoid becoming hunted himself. The entire time he made sure to pay special attention to the treetops.

 _Click._

Somewhere, metal moved against metal – it was the triggering mechanisms inside a gun just beginning to fire, which in turn produced that distinctive click. While ordinarily it was a sound that was unidentifiable to the average person, it was just as loud as one of those gunshots to Antoine. He automatically dove for cover behind a log. Only mere seconds later, the staccato crack of one gunshot and then anther rang out.

When nothing happened after the second shot, Antoine sat up and hurriedly examined himself. He may have been hit and not even realized it. As far as he could tell, there was no paint anywhere on his person. After waiting a few minutes, he peered out from behind his cover. Not far from the log, dots of green paint marked the ground. There was no sign of Rotor anywhere, but Antoine knew he must have been hiding somewhere in the area. For someone who didn't seem to do a great deal other than obediently follow Sally's commands and mess around with machines inside his workshop, and on top of it all proclaimed to hate guns, Rotor made for a startlingly good sniper. He didn't do anything that would've given his position away. If that had been Sonic who missed, then all Antoine would've had to do was listen for the string of angry, colorful language.

The near-miss prompted a trickle of hope to run through Antoine, though he still kept his guard up. He decided to just sit back and wait Rotor out. Rotor wasn't supermobian, and surely not even he could remain perched in a tree forever.

The minutes ticked by. One minute became two, then three, four, five, six… Then – there! Over in a thick-trunked tree whose highest branches reached nearly seven and half feet into the air, a branch had just creaked. Staring hard in that direction, Antoine even saw it sway slightly – just the way a branch would if somebody was sitting on it.

Instantly, Antoine rolled out from behind the log. Bringing his gun up, he fired off a rapid succession of three shots straight at the spot. He was rewarded with a yell of alarm, followed by a thud as something big and solid hit the ground.

Antoine didn't move. He couldn't move. His gun was still raised in the air as he stared off in the direction the noises had issued from in a daze. He knew what had just occurred, but couldn't believe it. Not once did he ever dream that he would be able best Rotor at this game, but he just had. Amazement, disbelief, euphoria – he was experiencing these emotions all at once. He needed to find Stormblaze and tell him all about it!

As Antoine headed back to the clearing, which was where the competitors were supposed to meet once the game reached its conclusion, he'd reeled in his excitement somewhat as he remembered that Sonic could still be searching for him. As a precaution, he kept to the more rugged parts of the woods which would serve to impede Sonic. He did not want his victory over Rotor ruined by being caught unawares by Sonic. Antoine really hoped he hadn't succeeded in shooting Stormblaze either. He wanted to be able to bask in the glory of victory with Stormblaze. It was because of him that Antoine had been able to accomplish such an achievement in the first place.

As the clearing came into view, Antoine was relieved to find Stormblaze already waiting for him.

Catching sight of Antoine at the same time, Stormblaze called out, "How did you fare, little wolf?"

"Paint free!"Antoine turned around to show him.

The shock of the other core Knotholers at this latest development could be seen in their wide-eyed faces. After all, the sight of Antoine looking more like a rainbow-spotted Dalmatian then a coydog after a round of paintball was a common sight. Dulcy was considerably more vociferous then her comrades were in expressing her astonishment. "That's a first!"

Stormblaze shot the dragon a look over his shoulder that would've sent a grizzly bear packing. "Try not to congratulate us too hard, dear. Maybe next time your precious hedgehog will win for the umpteenth time."

Antoine was too preoccupied trying to see if Stormblaze was unscathed to pay Dulcy any mind.

"Oh, do not worry about me." Stormblaze, noticing what he was up to, assured him. "I got him before he got me. Wish you could've been there to see it."

"Stormblaze, you were being right! I did it! I beat Rotor!" Antoine exclaimed. Stormblaze's getting Sonic was impressive – Sonic's speed gave him a tremendous advantage over him and the others, after all – and Antoine didn't wish to overshadow his accomplishment, but he had not been seriously expecting to win against Rotor. He still couldn't believe it.

"See? Didn't I tell you that things weren't hopeless?" Laughing, Stormblaze took the beaming Antoine by the right arm and raised his hand into the air before spinning him around to face everybody else. Antoine's enthusiasm was infectious, and it was spreading to their audience as well, who began applauding and cheering for them. Even Sally couldn't help smiling as she watched the pair.

It was right about that time that Sonic and Rotor, both looking irate and miserable, trudged out of the forest. The splash of red paint on Sonic's right shoulder stood out like a badge, though not one that he would've ever been proud to sport, while several bright yellow spots broke up the light lavender hue of Rotor's chest.

Spying them, the corners of Stormblaze's mouth curved upwards into a wicked grin. "Ah boys, there you are! May I just say that I thoroughly have enjoyed your paintball? A backwards brute like myself would just _love_ to play another round sometime!"

Rotor didn't respond to the taunt in any way, but his expression said it all as he started back to Knothole to clean himself up.

Sonic being Sonic though, he was not about to let Stormblaze get away with that. Eyes blazing with anger, he charged right up to him and Antoine. "You two think you're real slick, huh?"

"You are just being mad because someone finally beat at your own game!" Antoine shot back.

"I bet you and crow-bait there cheated somehow! There's no way you would've won otherwise!"

"Sonic!" Seeing that the situation was becoming a powder keg, Sally and Bunnie intervened. "Calm down. I'm sure Stormblaze and Antoine both competed fairly." Turning to face the pair, Sally considered them with raised eyebrows. "The two of you did, right?"

So she did not trust him to be able to win on his own without resorting to trickery? He would never be cheat at anything! Azure eyes narrowing in indignation, Antoine tried to keep his voice level as he answered, "I used my hearing to figure out where Rotor was hiding." He pointed at his ears. "If Sonic can use his speed, then I most certainly should be allowed to use _mon_ ears. It is only being fair!" He doubted that Sally would have ever posed such a question to Sonic or Rotor.

"I simply ambushed the pincushion." Stormblaze said shortly. As far as he was concerned, exactly _how_ he'd done it was for him to know and Sonic and the others to find out. "I never heard any rules against doing so." He turned his attention to Sonic. "Learn how to lose more graciously, boy."

"Why don't you go to he -"

"Sorry sugah hog, but it sounds like they played a fair game." Bunnie said, shrugging.

Sonic's only response to that was an infuriated growl before he too stomped off for Knothole.

When Sonic had gone, Jioni approached the victors, trailed by Konga and Dabiri. "Congratulations, gentlemen! I'm sure it would've been an even more exciting game if only we could've actually witnessed it as it happened."

" _Merci_ – thank you. But I am thinking that it would be hard to have a paintball game out in the open." Antoine answered seriously, not quite understanding that Jioni was joking, before looking to Stormblaze. "Stormblaze, this is Jioni." He decided to leave out the part about Jioni's being a prince, curious to see how Stormblaze would respond to him without having any awareness of the fact. While Stormblaze had previously professed to possess a dislike of nobles, he did seem to like certain ones, like the Knothole Freedom Fighters' good friend and ally Lupe the gray wolf. In fact, Stormblaze's other best friend was a prince himself, Raventail of Avalonia. "And these are his friends, _mademoiselle_ Konga Silverback and _monsieur_ Dabiri."

"It's an honor to meet you, sir." Jioni told him as they shook hands. "I must confess that since unicorns aren't native to Mazuri, we don't really know much about your people. The closest things to unicorns the Eastern Hemisphere has are karkadanns, and they're only found in Shamar."

"I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed seeing somebody knock that little loudmouth down a peg or two." Konga told Stormblaze, referring to Sonic. She was actually smiling for the first time since Antoine first met her.

"It was my pleasure - and Antoine's too, I'm sure." Stormblaze replied. Having been told by Antoine of the flurry Jioni's arrival created, he had decided that he should like to meet him and the other Lemurians. In his book, anyone who could get on Sonic's bad side couldn't be all bad. His gaze then turned to Jioni. "Karkadanns you say? They are quite distinct from other unicorn species, but what I've heard of my eastern cousins may be hearsay I fear. Well anyways, I trust the three of you have been enjoying this fair land so far?"

"Yes indeed." Dabiri answered. "It would seem that you yourself do not come from around these parts."

As the four continued their conversation, Antoine was just happy to simply stand by and listen. It pleased him a great deal to see that Mobians he liked were capable of getting along together. It was a good end to a good day, he thought.

 **Author's note:** "Crow-bait" is a derogatory term referring to a poor quality or old horse.

 **French translations:**

Monsieur: A title or form of address, the equivalent of "sir" or "Mr.".


	5. Only The Lonely

**Chapter Five: Only The Lonely**

It was going to be a mighty fine day, Bunnie was sure of it. A cool breeze gently caressed her fur, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. On wet, rainy days, mud tended to find its way into the joints of her bionic limbs, which meant extra cleaning in order to keep them properly working and in good shape, so she always looked forward to clear days.

Presently, she was enjoying a stroll around Knothole by herself. Earlier in the day, Antoine had come and told her that he'd just got done talking with Penelope about heading out to Sanctuary tomorrow to visit the children there and tell them his and Stormblaze's story. Not even Sonic and Sally had ever been invited to Sanctuary before. Penelope said that Antoine was more than welcome to bring any of the other Knotholers along if they were available to go. So he'd asked Bunnie if she was interested in joining him and Stormblaze. Her answer was yes. While Knothole was her home – well, a home away from home - hanging around there all the time aside from missions wasn't exactly her idea of interesting, so she'd leap at any opportunity to get out of the village. It was also a chance for her to spend more time with Antoine and get to know Stormblaze better.

As Bunnie continued her jaunt, the sounds of metallic squeaking drew her attention off to her right. Tails was down at the well. As he drew the bucket up, he leaned back, grunting in exertion as he pulled the rope hand over hand.

Walking over and leaning up against the trunk of a nearby tree, Bunnie called out, "Tails honey, you want a little help?"

Glancing over his shoulder at her, Tails shook his head. "That's all right Bunnie, I can do it!"

Bunnie smiled gently. "Alright then." She knew Tails desired to be viewed as mature and responsible in spite of his age, so she was more than happy to indulge him. He was growing up, and she knew that going along with his wishes would tickle him pink.

When the bucket was all the way up, Tails tied off the rope to a nearby post to secure it, then flew over to retrieve it. Using both hands, he set the bucket, which was heavy with water, down on the grass. But then he drew back like something had bitten him, little pointed muzzle wrinkled in disgust.

The abrupt change in his demeanor caught Bunnie's eye. "What's wrong, sugah?'

Tails looked over at her and pointed at the bucket. "The water smells nasty!"

Bunnie decided to come investigate for herself. Picking the bucket up, she leaned in for a whiff. That one brief sniff caused her to instantly recoil and hold the bucket away from her. "Land sakes, you ain't kiddin'!"

"I don't wanna drink something that smells like that. And look, it looks funny too!" Sure enough, the normally clear water had inexplicably turned an unappealing dark brownish-red.

"C'mon, we need to let everybody else know about this." Bunnie urgently told him, all traces of frivolity gone from her face.

Soon, Sally, Sonic, Rotor, and Jioni had joined them. Rotor took the liberty of making a sign reading 'DO NOT DRINK FROM THE WELL' and was currently hammering it into the ground beside the well. A few theories had been tossed out, but ultimately the group was flummoxed as to what could've possibly happened to have altered the water in such a drastic manner.

"No one drinks from that well, got it?" Sally instructed them. "I'm going to go see if Stormblaze can give us a helping hand."

"What, is he gonna use his face to scare the water into tasting good again?" Sonic cracked.

Paying him no mind, Sally began the trek to Tanforan Falls. Her intuition proved to be right. The object of her search was there, along with Antoine. They were by the pool and seemed to be looking over a book together when Sally approached them. "Stormblaze, we need your help."

Stormblaze eyed her skeptically, but listened without comment as she explained the nature of Knothole's problem to him. Sally wanted him to utilize his powers of purification to clean the water.

"Is there any way for me to actually get near the water source itself?" He asked once she had finished. Antoine wore a troubled look on his face. After all, he too drank and used water from that very same well.

"I know it comes from an underground spring here in the kingdom, but I'd have to dig through my maps to find the exact location."

Stormblaze and Antoine chose to accompany her back to Knothole. Stormblaze was mature enough to put aside his dislike of Sally and certain other Freedom Fighters in a time of crisis. While he didn't care for the individuals in question, that didn't mean he wished for genuine harm to befall them. And certainly not on Antoine, or Tails, Jioni, Rosie, or any of the other individuals who weren't involved in the feud.

A search of Sally's hut did indeed turn up the map in question after she rummaged through her map collection. The problem was the underground spring was some distance away.

"Sixteen miles? Pft, that ain't no thing. I can be there and back before dinner!" Sonic declared when he heard the news.

"As remarkable as ye and Stormblaze both are, ye must remember he's nae as fast as ye, Sonic dear." Rosie gently reminded him. "And he's the only one here who can perform water conning."

"I have a better idea." Stormblaze said, addressing the two of them as well as everybody else. By then the entire village had gathered outside. "Instead of killing ourselves tramping about some cramped underground cave, I will fix it so you all can drink from that Ring Pool. Think one of you can find a remedy for the well water in the meantime?"

"I can use NICOLE to find an antidote." Sally volunteered.

"Good."

While Stormblaze left to go purify the Ring Grotto, Sally had NICOLE to analyze a water sample and then devise a cure to restore it to its normal state. According to the computer, a compound comprised of six different plant species would do the trick. Once a group of Knotholers had ventured out into the Great Forest to locate and secure these ingredients, Bunnie volunteered to create the compound. With her proficiency at grinding up and mixing the plants and other natural ingredients she used to create her homemade hair care products, she was used to such activity. It didn't take Bunnie very long to do this back at her hut.

Once that task was complete, the compound was pitched into the well. In several hours it would do its work, and Knothole would have its main source of fresh water back.

"I don't think I could've lasted a week without the well, even with the Ring Grotto being drinkable." Rotor said as he peered into the well even though it was too dark to see anything that far down. Sonic was doing the same, standing on his tiptoes in order to better see over the edge.

Standing on the other side, Sally was leaning with her back against the side of the well. She tilted her head so that she could better see the pinniped. "I don't think things would've been that extreme, Rotor."

"I'm a walrus. We like our H20…"

"Hey guys!" Hearing the sound of Conan's voice, all three turned together to see him walk up. Since the luncheon, he'd been staying over with Sally and company for the remainder of his furlough. "Good work out there today."

Made self-conscious by Conan's commendation, Rotor was quick to retreat into himself. "Thanks." Was all he could get out.

Sonic's reaction was just the opposite. He shrugged, but wasn't able to hide the pride he was feeling. Praise was like mother's milk for him. Top it off with someone older then you being the one to pay you said compliment – well, that was just the cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae. "It was no biggie! We just had to find some plants. That's nothin' compared to what we do on a daily basis goin' into Robotropolis and stuff."

"Yeah, but just think about what might've happened if we weren't able to find 'em all?" Conan pointed out. "You guys handled the situation like pros. Julayla did a good job training you guys."

"Yeah…" Sally slowly answered, her gaze growing distant before her usually self-assured and articulate personality was back in place. The change came and went in the blink of an eye. "Yes, I think she'd be very proud if she could see us now."

"You know C, you're gonna be missed around here when you have to go back to the city." Sonic told Conan.

Folding his arms, he grinned slightly at him. "That so? Come on, you guys don't need me around. You got enough people here as is. Anyways, I'm out. It's getting late, and my steaks aren't gonna cook themselves you know."

After Conan wished them a good night and was gone, Sonic glanced over his two best friends. "Come to think of it, you guys hungry too?"

"When are you not hungry, Sonic?" Sally teased.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy! And now that we have our well back, I'm thinkin' it's time for some chili dogs!" He rubbed his hands together in delight.

"Conan's right, you know. About how we took care of this whole well situation I mean." Rotor thoughtfully piped up. "It just goes to show that science is far more reliable then silly fairytale purity powers or whatever." It was an obvious dig at Stormblaze.

"You know it, bro!" Sonic enthusiastically high-fived him. "We didn't need horseface bailing us out of this mess after all. Knothole Freedom Fighters can tackle any problem comin' at 'em!"

Sally rolled her eyes at their display, but all the same couldn't resist giving them a little smile. "Are you two done with your victory dance?"

For his part Rotor looked a little sheepish, but a smirking Sonic just playfully flexed his arms at her.

"Sally, could we talk in private?" Rotor asked after a few minutes.

Picking up on the serious note in his voice, Sally regarded him questioningly, but nodded her assent. "Sure. Let's go to my place."

She proceeded to lead them to her hut. Once inside, she switched on the lights in the living room, and the trio got comfortable there. "Isn't it a little strange," Rotor began. "That we've had all these new people coming to Knothole, and then suddenly something weird happens to our well?"

Sally hesitated a little before replying. "You don't think this was just an accident then?"

"Nope." Sonic chimed in. "And I think Rote's on something."

"Guys, come on. Are you seriously suggesting Dabir did this? Or Stormblaze?"

"As much as I can't stand that overhyped jackass, in this case, I was thinkin' of ol' prince pointy-face."

" _Jioni_ , Sonic." Sally sharply corrected. Sonic stuck out his tongue out at her. "And what reason would he even have for wanting to contaminate the well to begin with?"

"I can think of a couple of good ones. For starters, what if he's really working for Buttnik? Look at how many of those rich chumps just in Robotropolis alone sold out to him to keep their money and stuff!"

Rotor was trying to be slightly more diplomatic about the matter. "Look Sally, I know Jioni's your old friend and all, but he just shows up here out of the blue one day with this… sob story about his past, and then this happens? It seems awfully convenient. We don't know a thing about what he's really been up to these past fifteen years. He might've done a lot of changing from when you last saw him."

Sonic was nodding along vigorously. It was clear he'd already made up his mind about who he suspected the guilty party to be.

"I'll talk to him." Sally simply replied.

Sonic gawked at her. "That's it? You're just gonna talk to him?"

" _Yes_ , Sonic. What do you want me to do, interrogate him in a tiny room under a hot lamp?"

"Just talking to him isn't going to get him to fess up!"

"Look, until we can uncover some hard evidence pointing to a guilty party – if there really is one – then that's all I really can do. I can't do anything to him based on insufficient evidence. And jealousy."

Sonic scoffed. "I'm gonna be cool and ignore that jealousy crack. So what if we went and found some hard evidence then? Fur at the crime scene or something?"

"Then it'd be a different story. I know you guys aren't crazy about Jioni, but please don't go around accusing him or anyone else of anything. Until you get some solid proof specifically pointing to someone, he's innocent until proven guilty."

* * *

Since their private discussion five days ago, Jioni's marriage talk had ceased altogether, much to Sally's relief. She supposed she might get married at some point in the future if she ever felt that strongly about someone, but in the current climate, the idea of marriage seemed like a joke and an impossibility. Yes Mobians still got married even now, but none of them were a rebel princess with a bounty on her head and a warrant for her arrest in at least seven different countries to date. _'What kind of a crazy wedding would that be?'_ she wondered.

She knew Jioni still harbored romantic feelings for her – with the way he'd been carrying on at the Great Oak, she seriously doubted they'd gone away after just one conversation, though he was being surprisingly subtle about displaying them. She wanted to have another one-on-one talk with Jioni because this time, she was the one with a proposal for him. Not the kind involving wedding rings, no, but an offer to take his life back. She was sure he would leap at the chance to strike back at the man who'd ruined his chances of having a normal childhood.

She found Jioni by himself in an empty dirt lot which separated the huts from the tree house residences. He was stretching his long legs using a small three-legged stool when she hailed him. "Hi Jioni. Are you busy right now?"

Looking up at her, he completed his stretching exercise before presenting her with a cheery smile, the whiteness of his sharp teeth starkly contrasting with his ebony fur. "Ah, good morning Sally! I can always make time to talk to you."

"How considerate of you." Her eyes traveled down to his hands. Curiously enough, his knuckles were bound in white cloth. "Did something happen to your hands?"

"What?" He glanced down at his hands before raising his eyes to meet her's again. "Oh no, my hands are fine. This is just to protect them."

Mystified, Sally started to ask exactly _what_ his hands needed protecting from when she caught sight of Dabir. As always, his walking stick was clasped firmly in hand as he slowly but very deliberately inched his way towards her and Jioni.

"Oh, hello Dabir."

" _Jumbo_ , young lady." He amiably returned.

"I'm sorry, were you going to ask me something?"

Sally refocused her attention on Jioni. "Oh, I was just curious about whether or not you had any kind of fighting skills under your belt."

"What a coincidence. Dabir and I were just about to spar actually. You can watch and judge for yourself whether or not I'm any good in a fight." Unwinding his scarf from around his neck, which was followed by the removal of his shirt, Jioni set both articles of clothing on the stool and picked up a set of four sticks that had been wrapped together in a bundle off the ground. Two of the sticks were slightly shorter in length then the others. A pair of them, one long and one short, were handed off to Dabir, who had waited patiently nearby, having just finished wrapping his own knuckles. The long sticks were gripped in their dominate hands, and both Lemurians were right-handed.

Sally was wondering to herself just how fair this training session was going to be. She didn't know exactly how old Dabir was – he looked as old as Rosie, who was fifty-four, did, but could've easily been older. Compared to most Mobians, tortoises and their relatives did have incredibly long life spans. Sally remembered him looking the exact same way he did now when he'd traveled to Mobotropolis all those years ago with the rest of Queen Kamaria and King Ade's retinue. His going up against an eighteen-year old who was obviously in good physical condition didn't exactly strike her as being all that honorable.

The two combatants squared off in the middle of the dirt lot. A stick in each hand, they slowly began circling one another. Then, everything came alive in a burst of movement. Jioni swung at Dabir with his long stick, but was blocked by Dabir's shorter stick. The leopard tortoise counterattacked, forcing Jioni back, and the fight continued in much this same fashion. Each struggled to land a blow, but both appeared to be well-matched, either blocking or dodging the other's attacks. They seemed to be aiming for knees, ankles, wrists, and even each other's heads except for the eyes and ears (or the spot where Dabir's ears would've been if he had any). Dabir was easily keeping pace with Jioni and defending himself. Sometimes they would be right in each other's personal space attempting to overpower their opponent. It looked a lot rougher then the combat training Sally had engaged in while training with Julayla, a chipmunk who'd personally mentored her back when she was training to be a Freedom Fighter and initially had been the one to lead the new team in the field before Sally had been handed the reins.

Familiar metallic footfalls announced Bunnie's arrival on the scene. Coming to stand beside Sally, she curiously watched the ongoing duel. "What in tarnation are they up to?"

"They're sparring." Sally answered, her gaze focused on the Lemurians.

Using quick footwork to break away from Dabir, Jioni performed a standing leap that carried him clear over Dabir's head, his long tail streaming out behind him. Landing behind Dabir, Jioni grinned and skillfully twirled his sticks as Dabir wheeled around to face him.

Bunnie followed Sally's line of sight. "Are you admirin' Ji's fightin' skills, or something else of his?"

"Bunnie!"

Bunnie simply shrugged in the face of Sally's embarrassment. "Ain't nothin' wrong with lookin'. The Source knows I love our boys, but they don't exactly look like _that_." She indicated Jioni's fit, lean physique with a nod of her head. "Least not yet anyways."

"I suppose he's attractive." Sally said, putting on an air of indifference.

"Uh huh." Bunnie grinned. Sally could play things off all she wanted to. Bunnie knew what was up.

Jioni and Dabir were still going at it neither showing any signs of tiring. However, Jioni's moves were becoming significantly flashier then Dabir's, whose fighting style was more straight and to the point.

"You would do well to focus on your defense instead of showing off for our audience." Dabir warned.

Jioni smiled mischievously. "Can't I do both?" With that, he sprang at Dabir, sticks raised. Dabir simply spun around, taking the oncoming hits harmlessly on his shell. Seeing his attack foiled, Jioni switched targets, going for Dabir's legs, but was thwarted again as Dabir wheeled around to face him. Jioni simply wasn't as agile as Dabir was. Just as he started to take a swing at him, Dabir sent the stick Jioni was holding in his right hand flying with one precisely-timed flick.

It didn't take Jioni long to realize he was short a weapon. Before he could do anything though, he let out a yelp as a stick suddenly caught him on the side of his left leg, close by his knee. More blows to his left arm, shoulder, and head rained down. He tried to retreat, holding up his remaining stick defensively.

Dabir pursued him until he had backed him up against a tree. "Do you yield?" He demanded, pointing his stick at Jioni's nose.

"I…" Jioni looked from side to side as though searching for some solution to his situation. Finally though, his head and his ears both drooped. "Yes."

He and Dabir bowed respectfully to each other before going their separate ways. Jioni went to join the two girls. "Well even though I lost to my better, I hope I didn't look too bad out there."

Sally regarded him blankly. Bunnie's sly innuendo about her ogling Jioni had effectively thrown her off her game. "What?"

Jioni hesitated briefly before replying, "I meant the match just now?"

Bunnie came to Sally's rescue. "Are you kiddin'? We ain't never seen a scrap like that before! What kinda fightin' style was that?"

"Nduni stick fighting." Jioni explained rather proudly. "Stick fighting has a strong tradition in a number of Mazurian countries, including Lemuria. My father first began teaching me, then Dabir picked up where he left off. Hitting your rival's head, legs, and arms gives you the most points." He then looked to Sally. "Now, exactly why are you so interested in knowing whether I can fight or not?"

Sally could have kicked herself for becoming distracted (and in such an embarrassing way at that), but dove right back into their discussion. "Yes, well, I just wanted to extend an invitation to you to officially become part of the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Part of being a Freedom Fighter entails knowing how to handle yourself in case you're ever in a situation where you have to defend yourself or somebody else." She knew that even now Jioni enjoyed books and boasted a rather impressive education for someone who'd been in his situation, but knowing the difference between a salad fork and a regular fork was not going to help him against a Robo-Loyalist or SWATBot patrol. Sally was so glad Julayla had never bothered trying to teach her any of that useless stuff.

"You… you actually want me to join your group?" Jioni looked between her and Bunnie. "Why?"

Bunnie chuckled at his stunned reaction. "Why not?"

"It's just that I'm shocked either of you would even consider me as Resistance material. I don't think most Mobians would. It's the matter of my background, you see. I was taught how to lead my kingdom once Robotnik finally gets expelled, not fight a guerilla war."

"We're not like other Mobians. We can show you the ropes. I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time." Sally assured him.

"Thank you for your most generous offer." Jioni said. "I'd like to talk it over with Konga and Dabir first though, if you ladies do not mind."

"Oh, no need to. I was actually going to speak to Konga myself to see if she was interested in joining." Sally told him. "Do you think she'd be a good prospect?"

"Well, it's more of a matter of the three of us preferring to discuss major issues like this together before coming to a decision."

"If I may," Dabir approached the trio, the startling swiftness which he'd displayed during the fight now gone. "By all means, ask her. Konga has never had the opportunity to be part of a group before because of how we lived on the road. I feel that learning about teamwork and how to cooperate with others would be vital for her."

"Thank you, Dabir!" Excited by the prospect of getting not just one but two new Freedom Fighters now, Sally turned to Bunnie. "Bunnie, isn't this great?"

"Super." The dryness of her voice and her pursed lips were a stark change from the warm smile she'd sported and the lighthearted mood she had been in only seconds ago. But Sally was too wound up to take any note of the transformation in Bunnie, and was already off to seek out Konga. Dulcy had been the last person to join the Knothole crew. They were going to be getting some fresh blood for the first time in over a year and a half!

* * *

Sally lay stretched out on her stomach on the verdant bank of the stream, blue boot-clad paws up in the air. Her attention was engrossed in a book lying out on the grass before her. Every so often, a brown-furred hand reached out to flip to the next page.

To anyone unfamiliar with her habits, it would appear as though she was simply spending a leisurely day under the cool shade of the willows, but in actuality Sally was engaged in research.

A shadow suddenly fell over both her and her book. Right away it was identifiable as Sonic's by the wildly spiked headfur it sported. "Hey Sal, wanna watch a movie?" He asked, a broad, beguiling smile splitting his face. Clearly he was in good spirits that day. "Ladies' choice! We've got Brainsuckers From The Red Planet, or Blood Bucket Part Three: The Reckoning."

"Maybe later, Sonic." Sally distractedly replied, eyes still glued to the book. A woodcut illustration of a queenly-looking unicorn kneeling beside a pond and using her horn to purify the water was prominently splashed on one of the pages.

Curiously, Sonic peered at the other books she had assembled around her. Unicorns: Legends And Lore. Magical Beasts Of Mobius. It quickly dawned on him why she was so eager to read about unicorns. "You know, I don't know why you're still so interested in those prissy hornheads. You heard what the old nag said – they're not interested in helping us!"

Finally looking up, Sally primly sat up and eyed him the way a teacher would a student they had just called on. "Sonic, are you aware of the full capabilities of a unicorn?"

"Uh, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows on their horns?" He grinned.

"Unicorns," She began, refusing to acknowledge his joke, "have potent magical powers which allow them to heal wounds of any kind, purge poisons, and cure most known illnesses. They're also possessed of great physical strength and mental abilities which allow them to manipulate the emotional states of other beings. Now, if a single unicorn can do all that, can you imagine what a whole group of them together could do?"

"If these unicorns _are_ willing to help out."

"Just because some of Stormblaze's people don't want to help us doesn't mean all unicorns are going to be that way."

"All unicorns? Hate to break it to ya Sal, but they seem to be in short supply." Sonic pointed out.

"Well, we'll find out whether or not that's true in due time, won't we?"

Finding himself growing bored with discussing a species that he was discovering he didn't have a very high opinion of, Sonic decided to switch gears. "Hey, Prince Charmless hasn't been bugging you about marrying him, has he? Because if he has, I can go straighten him out for ya."

"Oh Sonic! Jioni hasn't brought that up since I first spoke to him about it."

"Just because he hasn't talked about it don't mean he ain't thinkin' about it!" Sonic tapped the side of his spiky head.

"Are you sure _you're_ not the one who's actually interested in marriage?" Sally smiled sweetly at him. "I mean, you certainly seem to be talking about it a lot."

"Totally not my style, Sal." Sonic waved her playful intimation aside. "I can't juice and jam if I've got a ball and chain around this ankle!"

She laughed. "You're easier to read then this book, Sonic."

Their banter flowed as easily as wine at a dinner party. It came to an end though when Sally noticed Sonic staring at something. Following his line of sight, she saw Antoine heading their way. Sonic looked like he'd just discovered a hair in one of his chili dogs, but Sally remained casual, outwardly at least. "Hi Antoine." She addressed him as he stopped a few feet from the two of them. "If you have a poem or something you want to recite for me, it'll have to wait until later. I'm busy right now."

"Actually, I am trying to locate Bunnie. I am wishing to see if she would like to accompany Stormblaze and myself to Sanctuary." Antoine explained, ignoring the scowling Sonic as he did. "She was not at her hut. Rosie told _moi_ to come and ask if you had seen her."

"Oh…" It was painfully obvious Sally hadn't been expecting that. His reply left her startled - even a little deflated perhaps. Overcoming her astonishment, she waited, expecting an invitation from him to join their party. But Antoine said nothing, only dispassionately gazing back at her instead. Finally, she cleared her throat and answered, "Uh, I think she's in the forest looking for herbs."

" _Merci_." Antoine nodded once to her before turning and leaving. Sally watched him depart in dumbstruck silence.

"Hello, Mobius to Sal!"

"Huh?" She looked over at Sonic. He was wearing a rather strange but undoubtedly peeved expression as he stared at her. "Why ya lookin' at Ant like that?"

"It's nothing Sonic, just relax!"

"Jeez, for the last few days just about everybody here's been actin' wacky! I think ol' flea brain there and the jade bought back some exotic weirdo disease with 'em or something!" He motioned to Antoine's progressively retreating form.

Sally rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. Now, could I finish my book please?"

"Sure, whatever." Sonic gave a seemingly indifferent shrug. "I guess readin' about unicorns is the best thing to do when the only one around is a complete fruitcake."

* * *

' _Olgivie Hedgehog must be one of the most annoying Mobians in existence.'_ Antoine sourly thought, listening as the Mobian in question trashed not just Stormblaze but himself as he left Knothole behind for the Great Forest. He considered returning to confront Sonic, but ultimately decided against it. He had better things to do that day then play with him.

Rotor and other Mobians would practically become personally offended with Antoine for voicing his dislike of Sonic or criticizing him in anyway. Or Antoine would be told something like "Sonic didn't mean anything" with his insensitive words or "that's just the way he is." Everybody treated him like a celebrity and was fine with letting him do as he pleased. Antoine couldn't understand why he was expected to like and admire someone capable of being so openly contemptuous towards him. Wouldn't dislike be a normal response for anyone in his situation? Why was he in the wrong and not his tormentor? The only difference between how he had viewed Sonic in the past versus the way he did now was that Antoine longer desired what Sonic had and had stopped comparing himself to him.

It was such a relief for him to encounter more Mobians who didn't like Sonic either. That meant he wasn't the lone soul who had a problem with Sonic's attitude. Jioni wasn't anywhere near as upfront with his distaste for him as Stormblaze and Konga both were, but Antoine wouldn't doubt if he didn't care for Sonic either considering how Sonic behaved towards him. Ever since the day he had challenged Jioni after his arrival in Knothole, he'd made his dislike for the prince plain for all to see. But Jioni was simply too mature to go back and forth with Sonic. He either calmly batted his insults aside (something that he was a lot better at doing then Antoine was) or just outright ignored him. Hilariously enough it seemed to be making Sonic even madder.

Antoine arrived at Tanforan Falls and started the trek up the rock-littered slope to Stormblaze's cave. Shrubs and small trees lined the narrow trail on either side. After some ways, the path became a stone ledge. As he drew closer and closer to his destination, so too did the waterfall itself. The alcove was located directly behind it, preventing anyone not familiar with the area from noticing it, Antoine's footsteps were cautious as he crossed the ledge. The mist coming from off the waterfall left its surface slick with water, and Antoine did not wish to hurt himself slipping and falling, even if he did happen to have a friend who could heal him with a touch.

As he neared the entrance, a voice could be heard lifted in song over the thunder of the rushing water. To his surprise, Antoine recognized it as _Stormblaze's_ voice. He never would have dreamed that his big, formidable mentor actually sang. He couldn't understand the words, as they were in some kind of foreign language. Most likely Stormblaze's native language if Antoine had to guess. How great it would have been if Antoine was able to pick it up so he and Stormblaze could hold conversations together, but Antoine could barely handle two languages. Learning a third seemed out of the question.

Unsure of what he might find, Antoine peeked around the corner. A wide tunnel had been bored into the cliff rock, and the alcove was further back. There hadn't been much in it when Antoine first brought Stormblaze there, as much of Snowfire's property was gone, taken away by who neither could say. Even now there still wasn't much of anything inside - just the cooler, Stormblaze's knapsack, and a bed and a chair, two of the only remaining items from Snowfire's time that had been discovered there. Both were in startlingly good condition. Antoine had wanted to decorate the alcove more thoroughly, but Stormblaze, wishing to see how the situation between Antoine and the others played out, told him not to bother. If things didn't work out, then the two of them would be leaving Northamer for good. And in that case, there would be no sense in Stomblaze's settling in permanently.

Stormblaze was seated in the white, beautifully-carved chair, which he had facing towards the falls outside.

"You sing?" Antoine asked as he came up alongside him.

"When I feel like it." Stormblaze replied, staring forward.

"What is that song called?"

"'The Lay of Drisana'. It is very old."

Curiosity and a touch of concern welling up within him, Antoine carefully studied Stormblaze. No expert was he at reading other Mobians, but something about Stormblaze seemed amiss. He wasn't acting like his normal wry-humored self. "What is it being about?"

"A unicorn named Drisana. She gave her love to a dragon."

"Ah, so it is a love song!"Antoine's fluffy stump of a tail wagged delightedly; he loved romantic songs. "Is the dragon giving her his love in turn?"

"Yes."

"So what is happening?"

"Drisana dies in the end."

The smile on Antoine's face faded posthaste. No wonder Stormblaze was in a dour mood if he was singing such depressing songs. "Uh, I am having records which have much happier songs on them back at my hut, if you are wishing to listen to them."

"Antoine, have you ever been singled out for being a hybrid?'

Antoine was a tad disappointed Stormblaze didn't seem interested in taking him up on his offer, but the question quickly diverted his mind. " _Non_. At least not by Sonic and his friends. Sally is bi-species as well, so it would be foolish of them to make fun of _moi_ for something that is being true of her as well." That was likely one of the few things Sally wouldn't have flat-out tolerated from Sonic. "Why are you asking this?'

"Remember when we were on Avalonia? Well, before we departed, my father shared something startling with me. Do you recall my mentioning before how my family was the target of vicious rumors?"

Antoine nodded.

"Well, those rumors happen to concern my father's side of the family not being full-blooded unicorns, and apparently are not idle gossip, but fact. It would seem I have some mule in my ancestry. My father would have no reason to lie about this. Mules, ponies, horses, donkeys – where I come from, they're perceived as lesser folk. 'Tis why a unicorn will take offense if he or she is referred to as a horse. So as you can imagine, hybrid unicorns would not be thought very highly of."

"Wait - I thought mules could not be having offspring?"

As much as Stormblaze loved Antoine, sometimes he found his habit of wondering away from matters at hand tiresome. "Yes, that's what I initially believed as well, but there are a few jennies out there apparently able to… er, reproduce. But anyways, can you imagine such a thing? If you and I get out there and we do happen to encounter other unicorns, only it turns out they too think that exact same way?" Getting up, he trudged towards the front of the cave, where he stood staring out at the curtain of water falling from above.

Antoine didn't try to stop him, unable to believe what he was seeing and hearing. Never had he seen Stormblaze in such a state before. Typically, it was Stormblaze who had to comfort him when he was scared or upset, not the other way around.

Having seen Stormblaze alongside his Avalonian brethren, he had indeed noticed some physical differences between him and them – Stormblaze's slightly longer ears and barrel-chested form versus their sleeker, daintier body types. Still, he had never once doubted that Stormblaze was any less a true unicorn because of it. He was just as regal as they were - even more so for his willingness to assist those beyond Avalonia.

Stormblaze didn't need to look down to know that Antoine was now standing right beside him. "Do you yourself believe mules are inf… not as good as unicorns?" The coydog asked hm.

Stormblaze gave a start. "Heavens no! I have never had a problem with anybody simply based on their species. There are enough perfectly good reasons to hate another Mobian without dragging something that shallow into the equation."

Antoine thought as much. Stormblaze was far too intelligent and reasonable (well, normally) to hold such ignorant views. "There is no shame in being half of something else. Look at _moi_ for example. My mother's side of the family is allowing me to be a good swimmer." Holding one hand up, he spread his fingers apart to reveal slight webbing in between each digit.

Fascinated, Stormblaze stared at his hand. "Huh. I wasn't aware your hands were like that."

Antoine lowered his hand. "And from _mon_ papa and his relations I am being a fast runner. And both coyotes and poodles _are_ very intelligent."

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts… of course." Stormblaze's eyes lit up. "That's quite brilliant, little wolf!"

Antoine ducked his head, but Stormblaze's praise had him beaming like the midday sun. "I would thank you if I were knowing what you meant by that."

"Basically it just means that when you combine the best traits of two or more things, the result is greater than just the traits of the individual things by themselves, whether it's an inanimate object like a … apple and cheddar cheese pie, or even a living thing. You yourself demonstrate this quite well."

Antoine nodded, deciding that he would keep Stormblaze's explanation in mind for possible future usage. "I understand this. You are the strongest, toughest, smartest unicorn I am ever meeting! This must be because of your mule blood! Maybe other unicorns out there will be different from the ones on Avalonia. If we do encounter any and they are looking at you in disapproval for not being a pure unicorn instead of seeing what a great person you are, then you are not needing them anyways. But we must not reach such conclusions so early on. Our search has not yet begun."

"You're absolutely right. The only way we'll know anything for certain is if we get out there and search." Putting an arm around Antoine's shoulder, he smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Antoine. I needed to hear all that. Sometimes it can be difficult for even someone like me to be one of a kind."

* * *

When Sally approached Konga with her offer, she was chary. She knew certain individuals around Knothole didn't want her and Jioni there. She made sure to point out that neither she nor Jioni were intimidated by these Mobians, but the two of them had better things to do with their time then put up with other peoples' bad attitudes.

Sally knew perfectly well who Konga was referring to, and reassured her that _she_ was in charge of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, not Sonic. If he had a problem with who she selected to join them, then he could take it up with her. After some deliberation, Konga decided to accept her invitation.

At sunset, the Freedom Fighters (and company) were all summoned to the Meeting Area by Sally. After Antoine told Stormblaze that Sally had said she some big news in store for the group, Antoine was surprised when he expressed a desire to drop by that evening. After all, Stormblaze had made a habit out of avoiding Knothole. But as he explained to Antoine, he suspected that Sally's announcement would likely result in some potentially interesting melodrama. Antoine was intrigued as to what Stormblaze seemed to know that he didn't. Stormblaze's line of thought was that the announcement would concern Jioni in some form or fashion.

Presently, Antoine was sitting on one of several logs which served as seating, while Stormblaze stood behind him in the back of the group. The rest of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, as well as Tails and Conan, took up spots close by.

Sally, who was already in an upbeat mood, was even more pleased when she spotted Stormblaze there. Maybe this meant that he was growing comfortable with them and would start coming around more often. She began to speak. "Everyone, it's my pleasure to announce that we have two new additions to the team – Jioni and Konga!" There was scattered applause as she looked off to the right where the two Lemurians were standing together facing their small audience. "Jioni, do either you or Konga have something you'd like to say?"

The pair traded looks. Konga shrugged indifferently before turning to face the Knotholers, stone-faced once more. Turning to Sally, Jioni acknowledged her with a half bow before stepping forward to address the Freedom Fighters and company, his mega-watt smile in place and serving to make him appear charming and affable. Sally moved back slightly so he could be front and center. "Thank you, Sally. My friends, Konga and I -"

Sonic bounded to his feet. "What?! Are you for real Sal? What good are they gonna be as Freedom Fighters?"

It didn't exactly stun Antoine that Sonic would object to Jioni and Konga's becoming more permanent fixtures around Knothole. Already the coydog knew where this was heading, and, exasperated, rubbed a hand down his face. Doubtless now he and Stormblaze would have to sit there for Source knew how long enduring Sonic and Sally's asinine bickering. The other Knotholers never seemed to mind it too much, but to Antoine, it was a complete and utter waste of time.

Sally fixed the incensed hedgehog with a severe look. "It isn't as if we can't train them, Sonic. In case you forgot, we didn't have any experience when we first started out either."

"It isn't as if _you_ can't train them." He corrected, pointing at her. "I'm not babysittin' 'em! I got better things to do with my time! Like saving the day, remember?" He laughed shortly.

Jioni set a hand on Konga's thick arm in an attempt to pacify the gorilla, who by that point was practically trembling with rage, but he might as well been trying to hold back a dam that was ready to burst. Konga marched straight up to Sonic, hands balled into fists. "Trust me when I say that we would never accept help from a spoiled brat like you in first place!"

Sonic's nostrils flared. "Spoiled brat? Hey, I'm not like you or your fancy friend there who ran like chickens while the war's been going on this whole time! I've been a Freedom Fighter going on three years straight now and bustin' bots since I was a kid! You two ain't done diddly-squat!"

"Wasn't your uncle knighted by King Acorn? And what kind of so-called commoner is best friends with a princess? Don't you dare try to act like you're so down to Mobius! You're no more a commoner then I am!"

"Well, your Blue Blur is displaying his maturity quite nicely." Stormblaze remarked to the other Knotholers as the two teenagers continued their heated quarreling. He felt satisfaction at seeing his suspicions about how the evening was going to play out be confirmed. "Why, one might suspect he feels threatened by Master Adansonia."

"Hardly. Sonic just doesn't want them getting in the way or hurting themselves." Rotor replied defensively.

Stormblaze considered him with a shrewd eye. "Hmm. Seems you're incapable of seeing things for what they truly are, friend. Not terribly surprising in retrospect."

"I could say the same of you. And I'm not your friend."

"Stop it, everybody!" Sally cried, jumping up on the tree stump and waving her hands in an attempt to divert everyone's attention back to her. Her attempts to restore order went unnoticed or were ignored outright as angry words and insults continued flying unabated through the air.

"Well, can't say that I was ever keen on having a friend who fell in love with a robot in the first place." Stormblaze coolly returned. "I would much rather have the enmity of an odd fellow like yourself then your friendship, believe you me." Earlier, Antoine had related to him a bizarre incident where Rotor had constructed a robotic assistant for himself. What stood out to Stormblaze, aside from the fact that the damnable thing had practically stalked Antoine to the point of leaving him extremely rattled and upset, was the fact that it had been specifically designed to be female. At that time Antoine had already been working for Rotor as his assistant, so why did Rotor have need of a second one? Stormblaze had little love for robots or anything of the sort. In his mind, the incident not only revealed Rotor to be an irresponsible creep, but an individual who had some decidedly… unsavory interests on the side. As much as Stormblaze would have appreciated the company of a nice unicorn doe, he wasn't so desperate as to go and build himself one. They were supposed to be fighting robots, not wooing them.

Rotor's face turned the same shade as an eggplant. He hadn't been expecting the robot comment, or took too kindly to it for that matter, while everybody else who actually heard it was likewise caught off guard. "And I'd rather have Sonic as my friend then a self-righteous jackass like you!"

Antoine thought that Stormblaze was handling himself against Rotor quite nicely, but Rotor's last remark served to rile him up. "Rotor, shut up and go back to talking about others behind their backs."

Everybody else was observing the pandemonium happening around them in hushed shock. Antoine and Rotor, who were now glaring icily at one another, had them particularly startled. Nobody had ever heard either Mobian talk to anybody that way before, let alone each other. Sally could only watch the fighting with a look of helpless, beleaguered dismay on her face.

Konga turned hard eyes upon Sally. "I think you need to get some of your teammates under better control."

If Sally had been dumbfounded before, then Konga's comment served to knock the wind right out of her sails. _"Excuse me?"_

"Since we've been here, he," Konga aimed an accusing finger Sonic's way, "has been nothing but hostile and rude! This is not the great hero of Northamer we've heard so much about!"

That time, not only did she succeed in upsetting Sally, but most of the other Freedom Fighters as well.

"Now you wait just a dang minute-" Bunnie began, rising from where she'd been sitting.

Rotor's ire shifted from Antoine to Konga. "If you don't like it here, then you can just leave!"

Stormblaze was laughing like he'd just heard a particularly funny joke. "Upset that she speaks the truth?"

"Alright Banana Breath, where do you get off barging into our home and insulting me and my friends?" Sonic snarled at Konga.

"I think you need a good slap in the mouth!" Konga barked back.

A shrill, prolonged whistle suddenly overrode the cacophony of outraged voices, causing heads to turn in order to see who or what was making it. It originated from an unlikely source – Jioni, who'd moved to stand at Sally's side. The relief in her eyes in that moment as she looked to him was telling.

When everyone was finally watching him, Jioni started to speak. "I don't know what kind of grievances some of you appear to have with one another, but I don't believe now is the appropriate time to air them. Yes, I am fully aware that Konga and I lack your experience. I assure you, this was through no fault of our own, and it doesn't mean we will make poor Freedom Fighters either. We're more than willing to learn the ropes. We're all fighting for the same cause, aren't we? Stopping Robotnik? All we desire is a fair chance to prove ourselves to you and to be able to assist the Resistance in any way we can."

In the silence following his speech as the Freedom Fighters absorbed his words, Conan was the first to speak. "That was well said, Jioni."

"Yeah! Freedom Fighters should be fighting Robotnik, not each other!" Tails chimed in.

Jioni smiled at him. "That's right Tails."

"Listen, I'll do what needs to be done if it means getting rid of the Overlander, but I'm telling you right now that I refuse to work with _him_." Konga jerked a thumb at Sonic, who sneered nastily at her in turn.

"Yeah, well, I still think she needs to -"

Placing a hand on his narrow shoulder, Bunnie shook her head at him. "Sugah-hog, just drop it for now."

But it was evident that Sonic didn't want to leave things be. Sharp spikes still bristling, he continued giving Konga one of the dirtiest look that he could muster. She stared back unshrinkingly. This intense staring contest dragged on for a full five minutes. At last though, Sonic sighed and turned away, scowling.

Stormblaze leaned down until he was close enough to whisper into Antoine's ear, "Well, I reckon we needn't worry about Robotnik killing us. We keep this up long enough and we'll all take one another out instead."

 **Author's note:** More horse slang in this chapter. The term "jade" refers to a horse that's either bad-tempered or poor in appearance.


	6. Travelin' Man

**Chapter Six:** **Travelin' Man**

Today was the day. Antoine was going to visit Sanctuary, accompanied by Bunnie and Stormblaze. He couldn't help feeling a sense of pride and excitement. Not even Sonic and Sally had been there before, much less been personally invited to come. He was looking forward to having a few stress-free days. The Source knew he could certainly use them. Just the other day he just happened to glance out of his hut window and caught sight of Sally engaging in what he assumed to be some sort of martial art stances as Jioni keenly observed from close by. His suspicions were confirmed when he bumped into Jioni later while on his way to the well and the two of them begun talking. He happened to mention that Sally had begun showing him the basics of _judo_. As much as Antoine liked Jioni as a Mobian, it honestly miffed him that Sally was so keen on training the prince when not once had she ever extended any such offers to him.

' _Typical Sally.'_ Antoine thought, sighing. She had done the same thing with Bunnie, instructing her in self-defense. While he knew he should be happy that Bunnie had a secondary method of protecting herself in case she was unable to use her robotic abilities for whatever reasons, it was clear to him that only those within Sally's inner circle received her attention, and he had never made it within that circle. Ever since his talk with Bunnie earlier, Antoine had found himself becoming increasingly resentful towards Sally and her behavior. Stormblaze had been correct before when he said that Sally treated him like he didn't exist much of the time and a pest at worst, but Antoine had been dubious, at the time still loyal to his crush. Now he saw exactly what Stormblaze meant. It just made the fact that he had once possessed romantic feelings for her even more absurd. He had told Bunnie that part of the reason behind that was due to Sally's being royalty, but what he hadn't mentioned was the other reason - that she was an obviously attractive girl. That just made things even worse. It made him seem like he hadn't cared about her personality and was just hung up on shallow things. If he had only paid more attention, then he would've seen what she was really like. Maybe deep down inside he really was a shallow person.

"Somethin' wrong?"

Antoine glanced over at Bunnie. She was to his right, Stormblaze was on his other side. All three were walking through the Great Forest, having set out for Sanctuary that morning so they could arrive there before dark fell. Had there been some kind of angry or disturbed look on his face and Bunnie had noticed?

"It is being too bad we are not having streaking pashas. We could get to our destination much faster then." He lied. He couldn't rant to Bunnie about what he viewed as Sally's near-constant inconsideration towards him. It would be awkward to complain about her to her own best friend.

Bunnie continued eying him, so Antoine, hoping to assuage her concerns, smiled broadly at her in return.

"What's that you have there?" Stormblaze suddenly asked, pointing to the nose of the little toy airplane poking from out of Bunnie's pack.

Bunnie turned her head to see what he meant. "Oh, that there toy? Conan gave it to me as a gift to give to the kids. Ain't that right kind o' him?"

"Indeed. Spends a lot of time in Knothole when not busy, does he?"

Thankful for the distraction, Antoine sent Stormblaze a small smile. No doubt it was intentional and he was trying to spare Antoine from being pressured into talking.

"Off and on." Bunnie replied. "If other Freedom Fighters need a place to stay, then they're more then welcome in Knothole."

Prior to their leaving, Bunnie had activated the holograph component Rotor had installed into her robotic arm. Now to the naked eye she looked no different than any other teenage girl. A few weeks after her run-in with the roboticizer, she ventured outside the village, only to be met with fear and mistrust from other Mobians who'd never seen a partially roboticized person before. Afterwards, she always wore long clothing whenever she left Knothole. Later, Sally asked Rotor if it would be possible to create something that could not only disguise Bunnie's appearance so that she could not only fit in better with normal Mobians, but keep her from being recognized by Robotnik and his henchmen. As far as the Freedom Fighters knew, Bunnie was the only Mobian to have ever escaped being completely roboticized. Robotnik would surely be on the lookout for her.

Sanctuary lay to the south of Knothole Village. They would be staying there for the night. While with thanks to their respective species all three could easily see even in pitch blackness, it seemed pointless to make such a long trip and then return on the very same day.

The only low point of their journey, at least for Antoine, was the bridge they had to cross. It looked much sturdier and better maintained then the other bridges Antoine had had to venture across in the past, which was why he had developed a severe dislike for them in the first place. He didn't utter a single complaint, but his displeasure at having to cross it was discernible even to someone who did not have telempathy.

"You done real good back there, sugah." Bunnie told Antoine after the trio had successfully walked over to the other side, punctuating her words with a touch to his arm.

"I concur." Stormblaze chimed in. He always made a point to congratulate Antoine whenever he confronted his fears and faults, regardless of the outcome. The fact that he would at least try doing so instead just of giving up was admirable.

Antoine's tail had gone still as stiff as a bottle brush, and he was breathing heavily as he stood there staring straight ahead. Hearing himself be addressed though, he turned his head to peer over at his friends. "Really?" He huffed between pants before finally unclenching his fists. "I thought I was about to pass out!"

"Uh huh." Bunnie nodded. "You conquered that bridge all by yourself."

Looking back the way they had just come, Antoine's face lightened. " _Ouah_. I suppose I did." Smiling slightly now, he looked between the other two Mobians. " _Merci_."

"Tweren't nothin'."

Stormblaze just smiled in response.

They would know that they were nearing their destination once they found Penelope or vice-verse. She was to meet them halfway and guide them the rest of the way there. Obviously Sanctuary needed to be hidden, so it wasn't easy for someone who'd never been there before to find it. It was one of several such safe havens across the country. This one had in fact been the first to be established over fourteen years ago.

"I was thinking that perhaps while sharing our story, I could impart the lessons I was learning along the way. You know, instead of just going through a mere retelling of what we did." Antoine was telling his companions.

"That sounds a splendid idea." Stormblaze replied. "I think it's good for people to know that they always have an opportunity to turn their fortunes around for the better. It gives them hope."

When Antoine didn't respond, Stormblaze looked around for him. He had stopped walking and was staring intently at the undergrowth to their right, ears angled in that direction. Uh oh. Stormblaze knew what that meant.

Bunnie had taken notice of the abrupt change in Antoine's behavior too, and crept closer to him. "What is it?" She whispered.

"Someone is coming our way." He answered without taking his eyes away from the bushes.

They had been naturally vigilant against any potential hostiles (which was anybody who they didn't know) or lackeys of Robotnik's they might run into along their journey. One could never too cautious, especially if they were part of the Resistance. Raising his longbow, Stormblaze brought it to bear on the bushes. Antoine's left hand went to his sabre and Bunnie took up a combat position, one foot in front of the other and fists raised and ready to start pummeling anyone or anything that looked even remotely unfriendly. Together the trio fronted the undergrowth.

"Who's there?" Stormblaze demanded. "Declare yourself – or else!"

Tensely they waited, mentally steeling themselves for a confrontation, but no one answered.

Bunnie glanced over at Antoine. "They still in there?"

"If they are, they have stopped moving. Were we scaring them?"

"I surrender!"

Startled, Antoine and Bunnie jumped. It was only a playfully grinning Penelope who strolled into view from behind the brush, arms raised in the air.

The three relaxed, and Stormblaze lowered his bow. Antoine spoke before anyone else could. "Er, please pardon my forwardness, but were we interrupting you in the middle of something?" He was looking at Penelope with guilt on his face. Her fur was wet and glossy under the sun, like she had just stepped out of the water.

"Nah. I was just waiting here for you guys to show. When I heard yelling, I jumped into a creek back there." She jerked a webbed thumb back in the direction she'd come from. "I was going to hide out there before I thought recognized Stormblaze's voice!"

"Guess we're all a little jumpy." Bunnie noted. "How much further is it to Sanctuary?"

"It's not far. C'mon, this way." The platypus gestured for them to follow as she started walking. Eventually, they found themselves in a place that looked like a scene in a landscape painting. It was a rolling valley, where a farm spread out to greet them. The main buildings consisted of a traditional red-and-white barn, a silo, and a wide two-story farmhouse. There was also a sprawling field consisting of tall green plants.

"It's safe for us to talk here." Penelope assured them.

Bunnie was gazing at the fields, which, now that they were closer, she could see consisted of a very familiar crop, one grown back in Knothole. "What ya'll grow out here other then corn?" She asked Penelope.

"Depends on the season. This year it's corn and blueberries."

"Ya'll don't worry about a farmhand sayin' anythin' to someone about the kids?" Judging by the size of the place, there had to be farmhands working there.

"Pretty much everybody who works here is related to the main caretaker, so no."

"One would think that would assure safety in this day and age," Antoine matter-of-factly began. "But it does not."

Bunnie thought that was an oddly bleak comment coming from him. Antoine's anxiety could lead his mind to worst case scenarios before, but he'd never been cynical. At least not the old Antoine.

"I guess you have you a point," Penelope reluctantly admitted, "But I just don't know if I can see anyone here being a traitor. I've known these guys for years. Look, you'll see what I mean once you meet everybody. C'mon, I want to introduce you to Vanilla Warren. She's the one in charge. Her family started this farm."

The group was led up to the white-framed farmhouse. Penelope rang the doorbell three times and then waited. After a moment, the door opened and a feminine cream, orange, and white-furred face peered out at them before a well-dressed Mobian stepped out on the porch. Like Bunnie, she too was a rabbit doe, but her ears were much longer and hung straight down instead of standing erect, indicating that she was in fact a lop rabbit.

"Penelope dearest, you're back!" Vanilla, the lop rabbit, exclaimed as she lovingly hugged the younger female before facing their visitors. "Hello, I've been expecting you all. I'm absolutely delighted to make your acquaintance. Penelope here has told me so much about you!" Her articulate style of speech hinted at a refined upbringing. She was also warm and genuine as she shook hands with Stormblaze and Bunnie.

Bunnie was careful to use her normal hand. The hologram only masked the appearance of her robotic parts. It didn't alter how the cold metal limbs felt. As for Antoine, he greeted Vanilla with the customary kiss on the back of the hand that he reserved for nearly all members of the fairer sex.

To Stormblaze's appreciation and immense relief, Penelope had apparently not told Vanilla what he actually was. The whole of Northamer did not need to know he was a unicorn, even if they were part of the Resistance. He would have to thank her for her discretion.

"Well, you've come such a long way, and I'm sure all of you would like to get off your feet. Please, won't you come in?" Vanilla opened her azure-painted door and indicated that they should step inside.

The house's expansive interior was just as elegant as its owner. The dark hardwood floor gleamed with polish, while the plush furniture and flower-patterned curtains added a cozy feel, and the fragrant scents of potpourri and baked bread hung in the air.

A group of children suddenly dashed out in front of the group as they were being led through the house, apparently engaged in some sort of chase game. Catching sight of them, Vanilla cleared her throat. This had the instantaneous and rather impressive effect of causing the children to stop running, come forward, and assemble before her in a straight row. Vanilla proceeded to walk down the lineup, looking down at the seven as she did. "Clean hands?'

Each child held out his or her hands, palms upward, and allowed them to be inspected. Apparently they were up to snuff, because once she came to the end of throw, Vanilla nodded satisfactorily.

"Penny!" A small lop rabbit girl who was part of the lineup and who appeared to be around eight or so suddenly ran up to Penelope, attaching herself to her leg.

"Hey there, dust bunny!" Stooping, Penelope ruffled the girl's head. "You doin' a good job of helping out your family here?"

"You bet! Yesterday I read everybody a bedtime story all by myself!"

"That's awesome!"

"This is my little girl, Cream." Vanilla explained to Antoine, Bunnie, and Stormblaze. The identity of the kit was hardly a surprise to them, considering the fact that Cream looked like a smaller version of her mother. Affectionately, Vanilla rested a hand on Cream's head as she looked down at her and her peers. "Children, this is Mr. Equinius, Mr. D'Coolette, and Miss Bunnie. They're going to be our special guests tonight and have a surprise in store for you, so please make them feel welcome."

"Yes Mrs. Warren." A chorus of voices obediently answered in unison.

"That reminds me. I got some things for ya'll." Taking her pack off, Bunnie reached inside to pull out the bright blue and red toy plane. "here's one of 'em. A real nice Freedom Fighter back home thought ya'll might like this. I can show you how it works!"

As she held out the toy so that the children could see it, seven pairs of eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Miss Bunnie!" Cream exclaimed over the clamor of other excited young voices, standing on her tiptoes so that she could better see the toy.

"Is it alright if we go outside?" Bunnie asked Vanilla.

Vanilla nodded. "Certainly."

Antoine offered to take Bunnie's backpack and put it away for her. As she and the children departed, Stormblaze commented to Vanilla, "They're quite well-mannered, the children."

"Of course. I am raising young ladies and gentlemen here. Come, I'll show the both of you to your rooms and we can get your bags put away."

* * *

Sometime after sunset, Vanilla summoned everyone to the dining room for dinner. Taking up trays, Antoine, Stormblaze, and Bunnie went into the dining room and sat down together at the table there with their meals - spaghetti, garlic bread, and green salad. Vanilla and a few of her relatives joined them. All the children were there as well, and their chatter filled the air. They ranged in age from ones as young as two to gawky sixteen-year olds.

"Who is the cook?" Antoine asked Vanilla. The food looked and smelled quite appetizing, he noted. It certainly seemed to have met with Stormblaze's approval, as he was enthusiastically scoffing his dinner down, but then again Antoine thought he'd never met a meal that he didn't like.

"Ah, that would be my younger brother Basil." Vanilla answered.

"Well, my compliments to him."

Glancing over at her kit, who was sitting further down the table with two friends of hers', Vanilla pursed her lips in disapproval. "Cream dear, what have I told you about eating all the tomatoes and cucumbers and leaving the lettuce behind?"

Caught in the act, Cream halted. She made a put-out looking face, but dutifully recited, "Eating greens is a special treat. It makes long ears and great big feet."

"Yer ma's right." Bunnie told her. "Why my brothers and sisters ate greens every day, and now they're the biggest toughest rabbits around!"

Cream looked only slightly reassured, so taking her fork, Bunnie stabbed her salad and had a big mouthful, putting on a great show of relishing it. "Course, a good salad dressin' helps too." She added after having swallowed.

Finally, Cream decided to follow suit, and looked Antoine's way after having taken a few nibbles of salad. He'd gotten some salad, but not as much as Bunnie and Stormblaze. "How come dogs don't eat greens? Because some of my friends don't like vegetables either."

"Cream!"

"It is fine, _mademoiselle_." Antoine tried to calm Vanilla before turning to Cream. He remembered what Stormblaze had told him about questions before – that they were a good tool for learning. "I cannot speak for every canine, but I like salad just fine. I simply prefer spaghetti a little more… or a nice meat pie."

"So you still really into cooking? I remember Sally saying that was your big thing." Coming over wither own tray, Penelope took the empty spot beside Vanilla.

"Uh, somewhat. It is something I would much rather do to show _mon_ appreciation for others rather than have as a job." Antoine explained.

"Are you looking for work right now?" Vanilla asked him.

"Not so much as I am trying to think of what I should be doing once – if the war ends."

"Sometimes it can take a while to discover what we really want to do. My parents bequeathed me this farm and wanted me to carry on the family business, but in my heart I knew there was something more I was meant to do. I discovered what that was one day when a friend of mine's in the Resistance had a small kit and no one to watch over her when he and his team had to go off to Summerhaven for an important mission. My advice is that you try different things out and see what makes you happy."

Antoine gave a nod of appreciation. "This is making sense. Thank you, _mademoiselle_. Penelope, may I be asking you something?" Seeing her nod her permission for him to go ahead, Antoine did just that. "What made you begin to work so closely with Sanctuary?"

"My grandparents raised me. I was six when they both died, and I was sent to a state home. Of course I hated it there, so I ran away. Vanilla found me hiding in an abandoned tenement one day and bought me here. I've spent half my life in this place ever since. I don't know what would've happened to me if it hadn't been for her. Now I want to return the favor."

Antoine never would've guessed that she was an orphan. "I am sorry to hear that. It is good that you were finding a home here."

"Penelope is one of several fine volunteers who help keep Sanctuary running." Vanilla further explained. "My parents raised me to be socially conscious. I want to do my part in the war by giving children a safe haven to stay at while their guardians fight Robotnik. Though I accept children from all situations. Those state-sponsored group homes… they're nothing more pits for indoctrination." For just a second her light brown eyes blazed with anger. "But digress. That is a topic best saved for another time."

Stormblaze stopped eating long enough to come up for air. "That's quite noble of you, Miss Warren."

Graciously she dipped her head to him. "Why thank you, Mr. Oakrune."

As he listened to her speak, Antoine recalled the blatant animosity that Sonic and even Sally at times displayed towards other aristocrats and the wealthy alike. Honestly, it was something he'd always found bizarre given their own rather lofty social stations. While his outlook on his fellow patricians was more realistic then it was previously, Antoine was hard-pressed to believe that _every_ single well-off individual on Mobius was a willing supporter of Robotnik (which was where a lot of Sonic and Sally's hatred of them stemmed from, though some of it did seem more personal in nature). But Vanilla detested Robotnik as much as any Freedom Fighter did. She may not have been out in the field fighting, but one couldn't deny that she was doing her part. Freedom Fighters couldn't' fight and watch their little ones at the same time.

* * *

Antoine's eyes traveled around the den. "So… I was told that someone here was interested in a story?"

As Bunnie watched from the sidelines, a crowd of the younger children, who had surrounded Antoine and Stormblaze, began jumping up and down and exclaiming eagerly.

"Hmm, I don't see anyone like that here, do you Antoine?" Stormblaze said, scanning the room as though he couldn't see the children. This just got them even more revved up. A couple of small hands eagerly tugged at the hem of his tunic.

Tickled by the scene, Bunnie giggled.

"Oh!" Antoine pretended to jump as if he was finally seeing the children for the first time. "Maybe all of you know who I am speaking of?"

Giggles and cries of "Us!" and "We want to hear the story!" answered him.

"Very well then! Why don't I begin?" Parking himself in a rocking chair, Antoine began to share his and Stormblaze's story. His voice was steady and clear, and he avoided the use of any complicated words or sayings whose grasp might've eluded him. The children sat on the floor, enraptured as they listened.

Stormblaze and Bunnie slipped out into the hall as quietly as possible (though for Stormblaze this was a snap, of course) so as not to interrupt or distract Antoine. There was no need to have three people around to tell a story - at least not with an audience like Antoine's.

"Never knew he was so good with youngins." Bunnie commented to Stormblaze.

"He's better at it then I am. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't quite sure what to expect here." Stormblaze admitted. "I've never gone out of my way to spend too much time with little ones before. 'Tis likely easier for Antoine to interact with Mobians not in his own age range. Small children accept differences far easier then adolescents or adults do."

"Come to think of it, I guess he has always done a pretty good job when it comes to keepin' Tails occupied."

"I am sure that with the way young Prower carries on over that hedgehog and your princess, Antoine's own interactions with him is something often overlooked."

"I can see that." She slowly nodded. She wouldn't have phrased it so… roughly, but he did have a point.

"In the days to come, I reckon you'll come to discover there's far more to Antoine then what you may have known already."

"So you like his teacher now or somethin''?"

"I suppose I am."

"Well, I reckon you're the right feller for the job. I can see how much he looks up to you. The last few times any of us tried teachin' him somethin', it didn't exactly go over so well." She could feel the tips of her ears beginning to heat up.

"He just learns at a different pace. I was the same way. What works for some Mobians does not work for everyone else. So I empathize with him."

Although he meant no harm with his words, Bunnie couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt. It was a reminder of how short she'd gotten with Antoine before. Like how, after Tatiana had belittled him, Sally, apparently not trying to joke like Tatiana was but being dead serious, had told Tatiana she was being "a little mean", but then began rattling off some of her own grievances with Antoine. He wasn't an angel back then, but that still was a pretty underhanded thing of Sally to do. It just wasn't an appropriate time to start with up all that. But the worst offender of all was Bunnie herself. First, she'd just stood by and did nothing, and once Sally had started complaining about Antoine, she herself had jumped onboard with a few of her own - how he could get so panicky at times that dealing with him was like herding derets. How he could have lived in Northamer for so long and still not have improved his English. She and Sally wanted to find someone for Tails to apprentice under, but not once had it ever crossed either of their minds to seek aid for Antoine too.

After her partial roboticization at Snively's hands, she had to learn how to master her new limbs and the abilities they entailed or risk hurting others, which hadn't been easy. The others had all been patient, understanding, and encouraging, Antoine included. And how had she gone and repaid him? By treating him like dirt. What kind of a person did that to somebody they called their friend?

"I'm really glad he has a fresh start with you." She told Stormblaze. "He really needed a friend. Sally and the others – they still see him as the same old Antoine."

He peered down at her. "And you? How do you see him?"

"Well I really like the new him."

"More than the old him?"

"Well I did like him before all this, even when I was actin' like a pinhead towards him. There might've been some… misplaced jealousy there on my part, what with how he carried on over Sally and all." None of this was easy to admit aloud, much less to a person she still didn't know very well.

To her relief though, her explanation merely elicited a raise of the eyebrow from Stormblaze and nothing else. She could tell he didn't like Sonic or Rotor, and surmised part of that stemmed from Antoine having told him about his problems with them. Honestly, Bunnie couldn't really fault him for not liking them. Stormblaze and Antoine had obviously formed a tight bond, and she wouldn't be fond of folks who were less then kind to her best friend (if she had had one anyways). While she herself liked Sonic as a friend, she was also aware that his personality tended to evoke extreme reactions in other Mobians – either sheer dislike or a willingness to follow him into hell and back, depending on the person. Meanwhile, Rotor wasn't the biggest social butterfly around and had his share of… eccentricities. She wondered if Sally had gotten on Stormblaze's bad side as well. Sally had gone on at length about how much she wanted Stormblaze to join the Knothole Freedom Fighters. But throughout the duration of his stay in Northamer, he'd mostly stayed down at the falls and hadn't really interacted with anyone but Antoine, Rosie, and herself. The few times the topic of Sally had sprung up in the talks she'd had with him and Antoine, Stormblaze was either really dismissive or short. Antoine and Stormblaze had probably done a lot of talking about Knothole together. What had Antoine told him about her, Bunnie wondered?

When he didn't respond, only peering in through the glass at Antoine instead, Bunnie further explained, "I thought he could've stood to do some growin' as a person, you know? He just needed to mature. That's something true of all our boys, so I'm not just pickin' on Twan. If anything, it's easier talkin' to him then it is Sonic or Sally, especially these days."

"Well, your truthfulness is appreciated. None of us are perfect, and it's good you have enough self-awareness to realize this as well as the missteps you've made with Antoine. But rather than dwell on past mistakes, you should look forward and strive to be a better person. Perhaps you and Antoine can aid each other in that regard."

"He told me that same thing."

"What is it that they say? Great minds think alike." He gave her a crooked smile. "You know, I never thought Antoine would ever grow on me this much. He really is an enchanting little fellow. I do not have any siblings, but this entire experience has been like having a younger brother."

* * *

Another day came and went. Antoine enjoyed a rejuvenating night's rest in the room he'd been given to stay in, and now arose to prepare for the day. Never before would he have thought he would have enjoyed traveling so much from the few times he'd done so previously. It was a chance for him to get out and see new places, meet new people, and learn new things. Maybe he had just been in the wrong company when he'd done so before. Stormblaze made for a far more preferable companion on the road then Sally and Sonic ever had. Bunnie wasn't so bad either now that she and he had repaired their friendship.

After freshening up and heading downstairs, he met up with Bunnie and Stormblaze in the dining room, and they enjoyed breakfast. As they ate together, a pair of lop rabbit does, one named Mocha and the younger one Muffy (short for Muffin) came up to the three and introduced themselves as Vanilla's older sister and niece respectively. Mocha asked Antoine, Bunnie, and Stormblaze if they would be interested in joining them, her brother Fennel, and some of the children and farmhands in berry picking once they were done eating.

This was where Antoine and Stormblaze currently were, out in the berry patch. Bunnie had remained back at the farmhouse. She'd really hit it off with Vanilla. The older doe, while slightly old-fashioned in some regards, was also worldly and sophisticated, traits Bunnie was drawn to. She also relished being able to talk with another female. Back in Knothole, if she wanted girl talk, Rosie was really the only source available. Dulcy, while a sweetheart, was just a little too immature for Bunnie's tastes, and Sally was… Sally. She'd never been all that interested in things like hair or fashion the same way Bunnie was. They did used to _ooo_ and _aww_ over the romantic male leads in Bunnie's books and such together, but these days it was all about missions, Robotnik, and Sonic with her. Bunnie really did want to be a supportive friend, but now it had gotten to the point where she found her mind wondering more often than not whenever it was just her and Sally together.

Outside, everyone was going up and down the rows of blueberry bushes and depositing the small dark blue fruits into the baskets they'd been given, though some of the berries were going into the youngsters' mouths rather than the baskets. Antoine and Stormblaze decided to take a break and, wanting relief from the afternoon heat, went to go stand in the shade of the nearby barn. On the way there, Antoine stumbled over a rock which lay hidden in the grass. Reacting fast, Stormblaze's arm shot out and grabbed him in time, preventing him from falling. After a grateful Antoine thanked him, Stormblaze noticed his pendant had fallen from out of his tunic where it had been concealed previously. "Are you still wearing that?"

"Huh?" Antoine glanced down and saw what he was referring to. "Oh, _oui_. I am sure that since you are a unicorn yourself it is seeming like any old trinket, but to a Mobian, a gift from a unicorn is great honor!" Queen Cassiopeia had presented the silver pendant, which she called the Star of Asriel, to Antoine when he and Stormblaze had returned the Deep Power Stones to her and the rest of the unicorns on Avalonia.

While the farm was safe ground for Resistance members, neither wanted to just start discussing unicorns in front of the residents, so they were thankful for the privacy their location afforded them.

"Not every Mobian." Stormblaze laughed dryly. "I can think of a few folk who would not feel that way."

Antoine looked at him incredulously. "Who is caring about them?" He returned his attention to the Star, tucking it reverently back into his tunic. " _I_ am the first Mobian to ever receive a gift from the queen. That makes it even more special! Do you know anything about it?"

"It's a piece of jewelry." Stormblaze shrugged.

"Whenever a hero would be getting a gift from an important person, it was always blessed or magical." Antoine informed him in a scholarly manner.

"Those are just tales, Little Wolf. Some of them may have had a basis in reality in the beginning, but not everything a unicorn has in their possession is magic."

Falling silent, Antoine looked down at the spot where the Star rested against his chest.

Stormblaze's shoulders slumped as his telempathy alerted him to the change in Antoine's mood. "I do not mean to downplay your present. I suppose I do take such things for granted since I have been around them all my life. I just feel that if it had any kind of powers, we'd probably either know it by now or would have been already told."

"I suppose. I was just finding the idea of having a magical pendant exciting." Antoine admitted, his mood lifting a little.

"Have you not had your fill of magic by now after that whole mess with the rocks?" Stormblaze playfully tweaked his ears.

"Never!" Antoine laughed.

As the pair joshed with one another, a far bigger issue had been weighing on Stormblaze's mind as of late. Prior to his coming out here with Antoine and Bunnie, Stormblaze had taken to observing Rotor after Antoine's failure to reconcile with him. He was curious to find out why things had gone awry and shed some light on the matter for Antoine's sake. It sounded like Rotor had made no effort to even give Antoine a chance.

With his stealthiness, it was a snap for Stormblaze to observe Rotor in secret as he went about his day. According to Antoine, Rotor was just as intensely private as Sally. Stormblaze had no reason to doubt Antoine's words, but Antoine might've underestimated just how withdrawn Rotor actually was.

He wasn't exactly the most exciting person to spy on. He spent quite a bit of time at that workshop of his. He didn't say much either, which, in spite of the fact that he held little love for Rotor, Stormblaze could not really hold that against him. Some people simply did not talk as much as others did, and there was no harm in that. But Rotor was unusually quiet, and around people he'd known since he was small no less. Because of this, it was easy to overlook his presence. He seemed to constantly be hovering on the fringes of other Mobians' conversations without even being noticed. However, his presence was significantly better received then Antoine's, and when the others were aware of him, they were always friendly towards him. Rotor never gave off any signs of dissatisfaction or anger at not being included. What did he really think about his social standing among his peers? Telempathy only worked up to an extent. It couldn't tell Stormblaze exactly what Rotor was thinking. Honestly, it just made Stormblaze even more curious about him. Just exactly what was going on behind his eyes?

However, his emotional state would change radically whenever Bunnie would arrive on the scene – a strange mixture of elation and nervousness. Outwardly, he was always kind and polite towards her, almost soft-spoken at times. After the fifth time of witnessing this, that's when Stormblaze though he'd figured out what the problem between him and Antoine _really_ was.

"I've given some thought to this whole business between you and Rotor." Stormblaze told him. "He doesn't like you, you know."

"I think I am figuring that out already, Stormblaze."

"But I believe I have found out _why_ that is. You are an obstacle between him and who he desires."

Now he had Antoine's full attention. "What? Who?" He thought hard, trying to figure out who Stormblaze could have possibly been referring to before both his brow and muzzle crinkled in utter abhorrence. "Oh, that awful robot he made? As far as I am being concerned, he can have her!" If Antoine had detested and feared robots before, then he liked them even less after Rotor's hideous machination had so obsessively pursued him.

"No, not that - that _thing_. Bunnie!"

Antoine let out a scoff of incredulity. " _He_ likes Bunnie? Really?"

"And she likes _you_." A long hoof-like finger was aimed at Antoine's nose.

"Uh huh." Dismissively he turned away from Stormblaze. "Right."

"Look my sarcastic young friend, these are the facts. Don't you think I can tell when Mobians are besotted with one another or not?"

Antoine frowned. He had a point – telempathy strikes again. "But he is seeming so… so not interested in love. But then again, it is not like he would ever be telling _moi_ if he was. What should I do?"

"As far as Rotor is concerned, nothing really. That is his problem, not yours. He needs to learn how to deal with his feelings in a more appropriate fashion. If Bunnie does not return his feelings now, then your telling her that you have no interest in her would not make her automatically shift those affections onto him. Romance does not work that way, that much -"

"Now hold on!" Antoine frantically waved his hands at the unicorn. "I never said I was having no interest in her! It is just that, um – I - well… I…" Under Stormblaze's steady gaze, he finally had to look away.

Stormblaze took the liberty of speaking for him. "Is there a reason why you are under the impression she is disinterested in you? Or is something preventing you from taking the next step in your relationship with her?" He suspected it was it latter, but wanted hear Antoine say it himself.

"It is a very sad story. I will tell it to you once I am being ready, but I think for now I would like to… understand myself a little better before trying to court anyone again. I am just happy to be able to call Bunnie my _ami_."

Although he didn't get a full answer to his question, Antoine was being honest, which Stormblaze appreciated. "I was not trying to pressure you into a relationship, you know. Do what makes you feel most comfortable."

"I know you were not."

Stormblaze turned his gaze back to the blueberry bushes, where two of the children had started up a game of chase. A slight smile played on his face. "You know, it's funny how when I mentioned Rotor's having an object of desire, your mind immediately landed on the robot."

"I suppose so. But you can understand why I was doing so, _oui_? Him and Bunnie… I know he is helping her with her limbs, you know, fixing them and such, but the two of them as a _couple_?" Antoine could only laugh. All of this new information would certainly take some getting used to. And to think, he'd been so jealous of Sonic and Sally's attraction to each other before, while Rotor was envious of him because Bunnie had feelings for him - _him_ of all Mobians! What a crazy mess! He and Stormblaze glanced at each other. As their eyes met, they widened as a new and very unsettling thought occurred to each one in the same instance.

"Wait…"

"You are not thinking -" Antoine stuck his tongue out. "Yuck!"

Stormblaze shuddered. "Tell you what. Let us return to berry harvesting and have no more talk of robots, mechanics, or their disturbing predilections."

"I am perfectly fine with this." Then, "Is Bunnie knowing this? That he is infatuated with her?"

"Little wolf!"

Antoine shrugged innocently. "I am just curious!"

"Well, it doesn't seem like it. Though it could be that she is aware and simply ignoring it. I cannot blame her. It would be like someone falling in love with me because they love my horn, a nice horn though it is. You know, I may be able to read emotions, but I certainly will never understand Mobians." He shook his head.

"Huh." Antoine murmured thoughtfully.

 **French translations:**

Ouah: Wow.


	7. All Shook Up

**Chapter Seven: All Shook Up**

While Vanilla and Bunnie chatted together inside the farmhouse, the lop rabbit was shuffling around her tidy kitchen preparing snacks. Soon, she had everything assembled in a cooler. "I'll be right back." She informed Bunnie. "I'm just going to take this out to Fennel and the others."

"I can take care of that if you want." Bunnie offered, getting up from her seat. "It's the least I can do."

Bunnie was looking back at Vanilla as she opened the back door and started to leave. She almost didn't see the other Mobian who was walking up to the backdoor, and neither did they. The two almost ran into one another.

"Yo Mrs. W – whoa, careful there!" Shooting a hand out, the unfamiliar dog helped the startled Bunnie steady herself.

"Thanks." Bunnie heaved a sigh of relief, glad not to have dropped the cooler. If the dog had touched her robotic arm, then she must not have really noticed that she'd felt metal instead of fur - yet. Carefully she scanned the spaniel-like dog's pretty face for any kind of reaction.

But the dog simply gave her a warm smile of appreciation. "Anytime." She was mostly white, with brownish-orange patches splashed haphazardly on her fur.

Vanilla, who'd witnessed the near accident, hitched up her dress and hustled over to them. "Good heavens girls, are you alright?"

"Just fine, ma'am." Bunnie reassured her before noticing the dirty brown smear on the front of her leotard and frowning.

The dog, who turned out to be a kooikerhondje mix, a breed Bunnie had never heard of before, followed her gaze. Her hand flew up to her mouth, leaving behind a small brown smudge on her white furry chin. "Oh no! I am _so_ sorry! I didn't wash my hands!" Realizing her mistake, she lowered her filthy hand to look down at it in dismay.

"Here, Bridget dear." Vanilla placed a rag into her hands before turning to inspect the grease smear on Bunnie's amaranth-pink outfit. "Some lemon juice and water should get right that out."

"I'd right appreciate it."

While Vanilla cleaned Bunnie up, the younger rabbit looked over at Bridget, who'd started wiping her hands off with the rag. "No offense, but exactly _what_ is that on yer hands?"

"Oh, grease." Came her casual answer. "I just got through working on the tractor. Speaking of which Mrs. W., it should work now. Give her a try when you get a chance!"

Just then, Antoine stepped through the door. He stopped short when he saw who else was there with Bunnie and Vanilla. "Bridget?"

Bridget was equally surprised. "Tony? What are you doing here?"

Antoine was beaming from ear to ear now. "I could be asking you the same question!"

"Ya'll know each other?" The two canines glanced to their right to find Bunnie watching them closely.

"Bridget is one of the Maddogs." Antoine explained before stepping closer to the Freedom Fighter in question. "Are you here by yourself? Where is Bandit?"

"Well, the heat got to be little too much, so we decided to split up into smaller groups for a while. We're all gonna meet back up on the northern border. Bandit's with Illya, Redd, and Rue. I was traveling with Lem and Clem. We came up this way so those two could visit some old friends of theirs'. I got word that Mrs. Warren needed some handiwork done, so I decided to drop by to see what I could do. And lucky me, I find you here!"

" _Oui_ , what good fortune indeed! Bridget, this is _mon_ friend, Bunnie. She, Edward, and I are here on a… how you say, goodwill mission?" Edward was the alias that Stormblaze traveled under.

"Eddie's here too? Cool!" She exclaimed before turning to Bunnie and sticking out a hand. "Hey, 'sup Bunnie? It's really good to meet you. Don't worry, I'm all squeaky clean now."

Bunnie gave her a left-handed handshake. "You too. Don't you worry none 'bout that. I got me a friend who builds stuff too, so a lil' dirt don't ruffle my feathers."

"All done." Vanilla declared just then, straightening up from her stooped position. Thanks to her efforts, Bunnie's leotard looked no worse for the wear.

"What is in the cooler, Bunnie?' Antoine asked, pointing to it.

"Oh!" Bunnie had forgotten all about the cooler." Uh, Miss Vanilla here threw some snacks together fer everyone. I meant to take this out…"

"That is being most kind of you, _Mademoiselle_ Warren _._ _Merci_." Antoine told Vanilla, who smiled and graciously acknowledged his thanks with a dip of her head in his direction. "I will join you in a moment, Bunnie."

Bunnie hesitated, glancing between him and Bridget and then the door, but finally left, lugging the cooler with her.

Knowing Stormblaze would be pleased to get a bite to eat (in spite of having had breakfast only a few hours earlier), Antoine's attention returned to Bridget. "So, it is safe to be assuming that you will be leaving soon?"

Bridget looked up from the glass of ice water she now was pouring for herself. "Yeah, probably. Why?"

"Well, I just had a thought - would you care to accompany us back to Knothole before you are meeting up with your _amis_?"

"You invitin' me to your place?" Setting the pitcher back down on the countertop, Bridget glanced over at the back door. "Is, uh, Bunnie and your other friends gonna be alright with that?"

"I do not see why not." Antoine shrugged guilelessly. "What is the worse that could happen? You make all the girls jealous?" He laughed.

"Not all of 'em..."

Seeing that she didn't share his amusement, Antoine's smile melted away. He cocked his head to one side, considering her. "I was just making a silly joke. Are you really being worried about this?"

"I'm sorry." She tried to smile even as she ducked her head, allowing her black-tipped ears to screen her face. "I guess I do sound a little paranoid, huh? It just seems to me like she's kinda worried about me trying to make a move on you."

"She? She who?"

"You know, Bunnie!" Bridget hissed, jerking her muzzle at the back door.

Antoine followed her gaze. "How - how are you knowing his?" Bunnie's behavior hadn't seemed any different to him.

"A girl can pick up on these kinds of things, Tony." Came her matter-of-fact reply.

"Oh. Uh, I see…" Antoine felt too embarrassed to admit that he didn't understand what she meant by Bunnie making a move on him. While he'd fully embraced Stormblaze's philosophy about asking questions, this situation was a little different from asking someone about all the proper sword stances. He worried about losing some of Bridget's respect for not knowing what she talking about. "Making a move" was probably commonplace slang that everyone but him knew. Did Bridget mean that she thought Bunnie was under the impression she wanted to take him away somewhere? "Well, I will talk to her and reassure her that this is not the case." That seemed like a safe answer.

"Okay, well in that case then..." Bridget mulled over this before finally sending him a big smile. "Sure. Invite accepted!"

* * *

"Whoa, sweet place!" Bridget was impressed by Knothole, her eyes sparkling as she took in everything. She, Antoine, Bunnie, and Stormblaze had just arrived there. Bridget craned her neck in order to take in the sight of the treehouses overhead as they passed below the high structures.

"Knothole was once the summer home of the royal family." Antoine knowledgeably informed her.

"Must be nice to be rich."

Bunnie had to laugh. With her own modest background, she understood Bridget's earnest sentiment perfectly. "I know what you mean."

Stormblaze started to say something, but noticing Sally making her way towards them, accompanied by Sonic, Rotor, Jioni, Tails, and Konga, murmured "uh oh" under his breath instead.

"Welcome back, guys." Sally addressed Antoine's group as the two respective parties stopped only a few feet from one another. In spite of not having been invited to Sanctuary, her manner cordial enough. "Care to tell us who your friend is?"

"This is Bridget. Stormblaze and I met her when we were in Carnia. She is being with the Maddog Freedom Fighters." Antoine replied. If Sally was willing to be polite, then he would be as well.

At the sight of more Knotholers, the corners of Bridget's mouth curved up into an excited grin. "Hey, rock on! It's always awesome to meet more Freedom Fighters!" She flitted from one Mobian to another, animatedly shaking hands as she went. "Wow, I knew Tony came from around these parts, but he never mentioned knowing actual factual royalty!"

"Gee, that's a real shocker." Sonic drawled. "I'm sure he told you _all_ about himself though, right?"

Antoine's head shot over in his direction, muzzle wrinkling into a slight sneer. "Am I always supposed to mention that I am knowing the Knothole Freedom Fighters to everyone I meet, Sonic? I am not an advertising agency for all of you."

Generally, it didn't take very much to set Sonic off. This was especially true when it came to Antoine as of late. Between the coydog's smart-mouthed new attitude and the sound of Stormblaze and Konga's amused chuckling in his ears, Sonic found himself seeing red. "That's it! I've had about enough out of you!" He advanced on Antoine, who remained where he was regarding Sonic levelly. Bunnie had to step in fast in order to restrain him. Sally meanwhile was looking like she wanted to die of embarrassment.

Once things calmed down, the focus returned to the Knotholers' newest guest, and proper introductions were made.

"I've heard of the Maddog Freedom Fighters! Your leader's the Smiling Bandit, right?" Tails was asking Bridget.

"You bet your tails, little guy." Bridget replied, eager to move past the earlier incident. "Which look _very_ awesome by the way! Makes me wish I'd been born special. I mean, how cool would it be to be able to run like the wind or hear an entire conversation from a mile away or something?" She looked over at Antoine.

Antoine shifted on his feet uncomfortably. Bridget and the rest of the Maddogs were actually aware of what he was capable of thanks to the time he had spent with them. He really hoped she wasn't about to spill his secret, but thankfully Jioni suddenly spoke up with a question of his own.

"What do you do with the Maddogs?"

"Aw, I'm just the mechanic."

"Rotor here's our mechanic." Bunnie gestured to the walrus.

Bridget turned to him. "Oh, so _you're_ the friend who builds stuff Bunnie mentioned before."

For his part, Rotor looked away from her intrigued brown-eyed gaze, rubbing at his left arm as he did. "Um, yeah. I dabble…"

"Dude, you do more than dabble!" Sonic, who had settled down by then, gave him a playful punch in the arm. "Why don't you show her the Smogsucker 2000?"

"Well what're we waiting for then? Let's go, Ro!" Having never met a stranger, Bridget linked her arm with Rotor's.

Silently, Antoine watched the two of them take off together for his workshop. Ever since he'd had that eye-opening discussion about Rotor with Stormblaze at Sanctuary, Antoine didn't think he would ever look at Rotor in the same light again. He certainly hadn't brought Bridget to Knothole just so Bunnie and the others could foist him onto her. Really, Bunnie was too nice for her own good sometimes.

* * *

Bridget and Rotor were chatting about their shared interests. Or trying to anyways. Rotor was visibly nervous in her presence. He was tongue-tied, didn't seem to know what to do with his hands, and generally was just an awkward wreck. But Bridget proved patient and forgiving, even when he accidentally dropped one of his screwdrivers on her foot while showing her his tool collection.

"So what's this baby do?" Now Bridget was pointing to the device he'd bought out, the aforementioned Smogsucker 2000.

"It… um, i-it can safely store the smoke generated by campfires so Robotnik can't ascertain our location."

Nearby, Sonic, Bunnie, Sally, and Jioni were all sitting together on the grass under the pretense of simply talking together and enjoying the sunny weather, but in truth they were watching to see how Rotor was faring. Antoine had decided to join them for the time being, sitting by Jioni after Bunnie had sat down next to Sally. In the kerfuffle caused by his protégé's and Sonic's little row earlier, Stormblaze had deliberately chosen to made himself absent, while Tails had decided to go after him. Ever since Stormblaze had come to their neck of the woods, he'd been very curious about his new neighbor. Antoine wondered what the two of them were doing just then. Probably something fun if he had to guess. He, Bunnie, and Bridget should have been with them, not here.

As he observed Rotor and Bridget, Sonic was amazingly quiet. At times, a pained expression or a grimace would cross his face. No doubt he was experiencing second-hand embarrassment for his buddy.

Bunnie herself cringed as Bridget was forced to quickly duck in order to avoid getting conked in the head as Rotor, the rather unwieldy vacuum cleaner-esque Smogsucker 2000 hefted up onto his broad shoulder, suddenly turned in the direction of his workshop as he was talking. "Bless his lil' ol' heart. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to get the two of 'em alone together after all. I thought he'd really open up around another mechanic."

Sally looked over at her, small ears angled in her direction. "Exactly what did you have in mind getting them together?"

"I just want Rotor to meet new people and start makin' more friends, like Sugah Twan here's been doin'." She motioned to Antoine, who, hearing his nickname, glanced over to smile politely at her. "Honestly, I don't think it's good that he doesn't do anything but hang around that stuffy ol' workshop of his all the time."

"Well, why don't the two of you start spending more time together? I know he really enjoys talking to you."

As he listened to them, Antoine sat up just a little straighter. He was mindful to keep a straight face and stay quiet, even though that wasn't what he wanted to do just then.

"Not sure if I follow ya, Sal-gal. How is his spendin' more time with me gonna help him make more friends?"

Before Sally could explain her reasoning to Bunnie, Konga rose to her feet. The gorilla had made no effort whatsoever to hide her disinterest in and disdain for the entire affair. She hadn't forgiven Rotor for what he had said to her and Jioni at their induction ceremony a couple of nights ago. "This is just pathetic. I'm out of here." She began walking off in the direction of the Great Oak without a single glance behind her. "Maybe there's some leaves somewhere that need counting."

Sonic, Sally, and Bunnie all aimed angry glares at her retreating back.

"Still happy about invitin' that one onboard?" Bunnie asked Sally, not holding back with the sarcasm.

"I sincerely apologize about that. Konga can be excessively… blunt." The weariness in Jioni's voice was perceptible, as if Konga had done this kind of thing dozens of times before and forcing him to run damage control.

"Oh, will you look at the time? I must be preparing lunch! I believe I will see if Bridget would like anything." Antoine suddenly proclaimed rather loudly. Konga was right – this _was_ pathetic. He needed to save Bridget before Rotor brained her with a hammer or something. Granted, having watched him did make Antoine feel a lot better about his own ability to speak to girls.

Before anyone could stop him, he jumped up and approached the two mechanics. "Bridget? I was about to prepare lunch at my hut and would like to be inviting you to join me if you so wish."

"Oh yeah, sure! All that walkin' did work up my appetite."

For his part, Rotor didn't seem irate with Antoine for interrupting his time with Bridget. In fact, he actually seemed relieved.

Antoine started to depart with Bridget. Hearing somebody loudly clear their throat behind him, he turned to see Sonic and the others watching him expectantly. "Is there something you are wanting?"

"Uh, you didn't ask what _we_ wanted to eat." Sonic replied, crossing his arms and staring back at Antoine with an expression clearly reading, "Seriously?"

Antoine found the words spilling out of his mouth before he even realized it. "And I am not going to. You are knowing how to cook, _oui_? And there is certainly nothing wrong with your hands. From now on, you can be preparing your own meals! That goes for the rest of you! Bunnie and Jioni, the two of you may be joining us if you so wish."

* * *

Antoine and Bridget had left the other Freedom Fighters standing there stunned into silence by the former's declaration. Bunnie had actually taken him up on his offer, but Jioni had politely declined before excusing himself, saying he wanted to go and talk to Konga.

Presently Antoine, Bunnie, and Bridget were at his hut, seated around the small table in his kitchen that he always ate at. Upon arriving there, he had prepared a quick lunch for the three of them to enjoy. Antoine, eager to hear about the Maddogs, had pressed Bridget for details on how they were doing, especially Bandit, with whom he'd forged an especially strong bond with (in fact, earlier on the quest he'd actually been planning to leave the Knothole Freedom Fighters for the Maddogs). He felt glad to learn that everyone was doing relatively well, considering that they all had to leave their home/base thanks to a traitor among them, a red fox and Bandit's own deputy leader, Fiona. It was feared that she'd given away their location to her ally, a local Robo-Loyalist, and the Maddogs didn't want to take any chances.

The trio had mostly finished their sandwiches, cucumber soup, and leftover pear tart that Antoine had pulled out of his mini-refrigerator when Bridget had a question of her own for him. "Uh, is everything alright, Tony?"

Bemused, Antoine looked her way. " _Oui_. Why?"

Bridget exchanged a knowing glance with Bunnie before meeting Antoine's eyes again. "You don't think you were being kinda harsh to your friends back there? About the whole cooking thing?"

Antoine's eyes went cold. "They are _not_ my friends. I will not have them taking advantage of me any longer!"

"I understand your frustration darlin', I really do, but you could've stood to have handled that better." Bunnie said, gently touching his hand. "I think you need to sit down and talk to them about how you feel."

"But how am I supposed to do that when they are never giving me the chance to? I want to say I am sorry for my past actions and forgive them for what they have done to me, but Sonic treats me as a big joke and Sally acts like I am the same age as Tails! And she treats _him_ with more respect than she ever did me! I already was trying to speak with Rotor, and guess what happened? It failed miserably!" He launched into the story of what had happened when he'd attempted to apologize to Rotor those two and a half weeks ago.

When he was done, Bunnie's face was troubled. "That don't sound like Rotor at all."

"On _mon_ honor as a D'Coolette, that is what was happening." Antoine placed his left hand over his heart.

"I don't think yer tellin' tales. I just can't figure out why he'd be so sore at ya. I know ya'll ain't close, but if I didn't know any better it almost sounds like he's nursin' some kinda grudge."

"It is because he -" Antoine stopped himself. He'd almost started to blurt out Stormblaze's theory about why Rotor apparently detested him, but then wondered if Bunnie would be made uncomfortable.

"He what?" Both girls stared him curiously, Bunnie doubly so.

"… He does nothing but go along with whatever Sonic is saying and doing. So I am not surprised he hates me too."

"Oh sugah, they don't hate you -" Bunnie began.

"No. They just wish I never became a Freedom Fighter and that I would go back to where I belong." Antoine's tone was bone-dry. "I know you are not liking to see anybody fight and they are your friends, but it has been this way for me ever since I was living in Knothole."

"Well, if you ever need someplace to stay, you can always come find us." Bridget told him, referring to the Maddogs.

"Who said he was going anywhere?" Bunnie demanded.

"I'm not telling him to leave." Bridget explained, unperturbed by the rabbit's show of indignation. "I just figured if worst came to worst, Tony might want a change of address."

"Do you?" Bunnie directed that at Antoine.

Steeling himself, he looked straight into her eyes. "I must be honest, Bunnie. If things do not improve, then I feel I have no choice but to leave Knothole. I cannot call someplace where I am so unwelcome a home, even if you and two other people here are liking me."

"The others don't really pay that much attention to you, so you're gonna need to show them you've changed. It has to be something that'll really catch their eye!" It was clear that Bunnie would hear no more of this leaving business.

"But what could I possibly do that will do that?"

"Listen," She rested a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure if we put our heads together we can think of something!"

Antoine was pleased to see her smiling again. He had to wonder though with someone else helping him now if things actually start turning around for him, or if it would even do any good.

"I hate to tell you guys this," Bridget began before Antoine could reply, "but just because you work with somebody doesn't mean you and them will make good friends. Some peoples' personalities just don't mix well for whatever reasons, and you can't make everybody like you. That don't mean you're not a good person even though some Mobians think that's the case. It's just something that happens, and we don't have any control over it. I'm not saying this to bring you down, but you guys might wanna prepare yourselves in case things don't work out."

* * *

"- if Antsy won't even do the one thing he's actually supposed to be good at, then why do we even have the guy around in the first place?" Sonic was fuming as he ranted to the others. He couldn't believe he'd been shown up by Antoine for a second time that day, and in front of everybody no less. "He's nothin' but deadweight! Right, Rote?"

Rotor nodded seriously. "Absolutely. You two are in charge, Bunnie has her abilities, I build and maintain our tech and machinery. Even Dulcy acts as aerial and combat support. What _does_ Antoine do, other than whine and run away on 'quests' without a word?"

It was around that time that Bridget left Antoine's hut. Spotting her, Sally turned away from her friends. "Hey Bridget, could we talk a minute?"

"Sure." Bridget obliged, walking over to the shady spot beneath the treehouses where the younger girl and her companions now were. "What's up?"

Sally lowered her voice as she spoke. "Is everything alright with Antoine? He's been pretty moody lately. I thought I'd see if he's said something to you."

"I think it might be better for you to ask him that yourself, Sally. No offense."

Sally made a noncommittal nose that was somewhere between a hum and a grunt. She started to say something when Sonic was suddenly in between the two, grinning mischievously. "Hey, so level with me, Bridge – on a scale of one to ten, how annoying was Ant really? Did he get all over your case about not being a real lady because you build stuff?"

She gave him a look of confusion. "What? Who's Ant?"

"Antoine. Come on! He's not around, you don't have to pretend anymore!"

Bridget turned so that she was now fully fronting Sonic. "You got some kind of problem with Tony, 'hog?" Although outwardly her demeanor still seemed casual, her tone hinted at ice and venom.

Rotor, who'd been observing the entire exchange without a word, glanced over at Sally. She caught his look. Her intention had been to just ignore Sonic in the hopes that not giving him any attention would make him shut up. But sensing that he was about to create an argument, she finally interceded. "Sonic, please."

Bridget's reaction to his question left Sonic nonplussed. Deliberately ignoring Sally's plea, Sonic's brow knitted together into a frown before he shook his head slightly. "Chill out, girl! All I'm sayin' is that it's impossible for Antsy to make friends." He said like he was explaining that the sky was blue or Robotnik was dangerous. "He's too busy being his usual snot-nosed self to even bother making pals! He's not some awesome hero or this cool guy like you seem to think he is!"

Bridget leveled a flinty stare at him. "So just 'cause you don't like him means everybody else should too, huh? Grow up, little boy!"

"You're actin' just like Penny and the guys and that stupid unicorn!"

" _Listen_." Bridget held out a hand to stop him. "I don't know what your problem is, but ever since I've met Tony he's been nothing but nice, _and_ he helped save my boss' life. I'm not gonna stand here listening to you badmouth him!" Long furry ears flying as she gave a toss of her head, she started to stalk off, but not before stopping to look back at Sonic. "You know, I'm really glad none of the other Maddogs are here with me. If they were, they'd be just as disappointed as I am to see what a huge douchebag you really are." With that she walked away, leaving behind three astounded Freedom Fighters.

Sonic turned to Sally and Rotor. "You hear what she just called me?!"

"You shouldn't have went off in front of her like that." Sally scolded. "You don't even know her."

"Aw c'mon! I was just sayin' what we were all thinkin'!"

"Sonic, does the word tact mean anything to you?"

"Tact my sweet ass…" Sonic grumbled.

* * *

"We really enjoyed having you here with us, Miss Bridget!" That was Tails, standing in front of Bridget and looking up at her, all smiles and perked up ears.

Bridget was preparing to leave to rejoin Clem and Lem before night fully set in. Already a few of stars could be seen winking at them from above. The Knotholers had gathered by the South Lookout post to see her off.

Affectionately Bridget patted Tails on the head. "Aw, you're such a little gentleman! I think I see some girls in your future. A word of advice - what we really like," and here she looked directly at Sonic and Rotor, who were watching them both from nearby, "is a man who treats _everyone_ with kindness and respect."

"Okay." Tails shrugged. "I don't need a girlfriend or anything like though."

"More interested in running the woods, huh?" Bridget teased, grinning playfully. "Well, just keep in mind what I said about respect and kindness. That's important even without romance in the mix."

Coming to Antoine next, Bridget briefly enveloped his hands in hers. "I hope things pick up for you, Tony. Remember what I said earlier. Anyways, I can't wait to tell everybody I ran into you and Eddie."

Dulcy lowered her head towards Antoine. "Hey Tony, who's Ed - oof!"

Stormblaze, who by then had returned from wherever he'd taken refuge at, had just quickly elbowed her in the side. As much as he liked Bridget, Stormblaze was still particular about who he trusted with the knowledge of his true identity.

Pretending like he hadn't seen or heard anything, Antoine regarded Bridget with concern. "Are you quite certain you do not need someone to escort you back? I would be most honored to do so."

"Oh no!" Bridget answered almost a little too quickly. "I mean, you guys have already done enough for me. I wouldn't want to put you out. I'll be fine -"

"Well, I'm certainly pleased to see what good friends the three of you have become," That was Sally, who was walking over to give Bridget her own farewell.

"Uh, yeah… thanks Sally."

Sally's sudden intrusion as well as her comment earned a roll of the eyes at her back from Antoine, but he said nothing as she began conversing with Bridget. He wasn't really listening to the girls. The idea of Bridget trekking back all the way they had come by herself just didn't sit right with him.

Other then when she'd been giving Tails advice, Bridget hadn't so as much as glanced Sonic's way. She was refusing to acknowledge his presence.

Her actions hadn't gone unnoticed. Bunnie, standing on the other side of Dulcy, was watching the two of them. She could all but see the steam rising off Sonic's head as he gave Bridget a death-glare, complete with clenched fists and gritted teeth. She wondered if Antoine could pick up on Sonic's attitude, but he seemed lost in his own little world right then. Sally didn't notice either. Having eaten lunch with Bridget, Bunnie had warmed up to her some more. Bridget didn't strike her as the type to just start fighting with somebody out of the blue. She and Sonic had gotten along with no problems earlier, so what had changed? Hoping to discover what was going on and sate her curiosity, Bunnie decided she was better off asking Sally about it, since an irate Sonic was a ranting, hard-to-understand Sonic. Maybe she'd talk to him once he cooled down.

Sometime after Bridget had gone, Bunnie easily made her way through the dark to Sally's hut and asked if it was alright if she came in. After Sally opened the door for her, Bunnie plopped down on her canopy bed just like she'd done a hundred times before. Sally resumed digging through a box she'd brought over from the Great Oak.

"What on earth was all that about earlier? Why was Bridget givin' Sugah-hog the cold shoulder all of a sudden?"

"Huh?" Stopping, Sally looked over her shoulder at Bunnie. "Oh, that. Well, after you guys ate at Antoine's, Bridget and Sonic got into a little… altercation. You know Sonic, always shooting his mouth off." She just about buried her nose back in the box.

Bunnie leaned forward. "Altercation? Over what?"

"He started talking about Antoine and she didn't like it. I really wish he'd put a muzzle on it sometimes. He might've made a very bad impression on her, and we can't afford to have any animosity between our two groups. We have to present a strong united front – even to individuals who don't have the cleanest reputations - ah-ha!" Grinning in triumph, she produced a red and white sweater featuring a green-and-blue winter cap-wearing ladet surrounded by little white fluffy pom-poms that were supposed to be snow. "I told Sonic Rosie hadn't thrown this out! I can't wait to see his face when I show this to him! My aunt Alice made it for him when he was little."

Bunnie just stared, less so at the tacky-looking sweater and more at Sally. She didn't have to ask what it was that Sonic was saying about Antoine. She already had a pretty good idea. She remembered what Antoine had said earlier about feeling like Sonic hated him. "Didn't you try to stop him?"

"Of course I did!" The sweater forgotten, Sally whirled about to face Bunnie, her voice a touch defensive. "But well, it was too late. The damage was already done. But hopefully she won't hold it against us or mention it to the other Maddogs. You know I still can't believe that there's a criminal out there leading his own group of Freedom Fighters? What a crazy world we live in."

While Sally was right about Sonic potentially offending the Maddogs, her attitude bothered Bunnie. The fact that Sonic had been verbally tearing down Antoine for the umpteenth time didn't even seem to matter to her. She was more concerned about what a bunch of strangers would think of them.

Standing, Sally tossed the sweater onto the bed. "Hey, while you're here, let's go over these plans for our next mission to Robotropolis." Retrieving a large rolled-up sheet of paper from the organizer tray on her desk, Sally unfurled it and laid out flat on the bed. "I was thinking you could lead the infiltration team -"

Bunnie suddenly got up. "You know what? It's been a long day and I'm feelin' a mite tired. Maybe tomorrow."

Sally glanced up at her. "Hmm, really? Well, we can put this on hold if you want. Go and get your rest."


	8. Suspicious Minds

**Chapter Eight: Suspicious Minds**

From the comfort of his bed, Antoine sluggishly peered over at the alarm clock on his nightstand. His eyelids felt like they weighed a pound each. A part of him protested having to get up when it was still so early. Every curtain in his hut was drawn, as he always closed them every night, but the interior still seemed lighter then it would be at night. As it finally occurred to him just what time it actually was though, the sleep-induced fog he was in departed his brain. Flinging the thin maya blue bed sheet off him, he bolted upright. He must've been so tired that he'd slept right though the alarm! He was over an hour late for his lesson with Stormblaze! He bounded out of bed to get ready for the day.

Stormblaze was down at the basin at the foot of Tanforan Falls collecting drinking water. Looking up from filling his canteen, he was greeted by the sight of a huffing, puffing Antoine who looked like he'd gotten dressed in a hurry. His headfur looked like some creature had tried to nest in it before giving up and moving on to find more suitable bedding elsewhere. "Something the matter?"

"Did you not notice that I am being late?" Antoine demanded, thrown off by his mentor's response.

Using his hand to guard his eyes, Stormblaze threw a quick glance up at the sky. "Huh. Indeed you are." He returned his focus to the canteen, replacing its cap. "Would there be any reason for that? I've never known you to be late for anything in all the time we've been together."

"Well… um," Antoine twiddled his fingers before taking a deep breath and delivering his explanation. "Last night I was following Bridget after she left. It did not feel right to me to allow a female to walk alone at night unescorted. She was our guest. If something had happened to her I would not be able to live with myself. What would I tell Bandit?" He braced himself for a stern lecture.

"I know. I just wanted to hear you say it."

Antoine's expression switched from one of tense resignation to baffled shock. "Wh - how are you finding this out?"

Stormblaze affixed the canteen to his belt. Getting to his hooves, he then approached Antoine. He couldn't resist smiling at his reaction. Apparently Antoine thought he'd pulled a fast one. "Just imagine my surprise when I happened to be out last night and caught sight of a certain blonde doing his best impersonation of a unicorn. I decided to follow to see what you were up to and realized you were trailing Bridget."

"So you are not upset?"

"Initially I was because I assumed you were being reckless again, but then it occurred to me that if you were out running about in the dark without fetching me then you must've had good reason to."

Antoine nodded. "I would have came and gotten you, but I had no time to and did not wish to be losing Bridget."

There was a minor pause on Stormblaze's part. "You know, you're quite the faithful little fellow, Antoine. I don't think most of the villagers or even you yourself realize how much so."

It wasn't a common occurrence for Antoine to hear someone use the word loyal and his name in the same sentence. Getting over his surprise, his tail wagged in joy as he smiled up at the unicorn. It took a few seconds for him to find his voice. " _Merci_ , Stormblaze. Um, I really want to become a stronger warrior and am willing to put in all the hard work to do so, but I cannot help but think… well, maybe I can be having a break for this one day? I could really use a rest after last night."

Crossing his arms, Stormblaze pretended to think over Antoine's request. "Well… I do have this one new exercise I'd like for you to try out. But - I can be nice and just leave it at that for today. Let it never be said that I am not a fair taskmaster. Now, follow me."

Antoine did as he was told. He wasn't feeling the effects of his late night adventure yet, so maybe he could tackle this latest challenge, whatever it was. Stormblaze was leading him to the trees. The roar of Tanforan became fainter and fainter in the background as they left the falls behind. "Oh, perhaps you can help me understand something." Antoine asked as he kept pace with Stormblaze. "What is it meaning when you are making a move on someone?" He recalled that particular bit of slang that Bridget had used when they were discussing Bunnie back at Sanctuary.

"Well, I know that _making_ a move is used in the context of taking a course of action, and doesn't necessarily have to apply to a person either. Though I have heard of putting the moves on someone, so perhaps it is the same thing."

Antoine sighed. "And that means?..."

"Wooing someone."

"Wooing – I am not interested in wooing anybody!"

"It's something that comes with being in your age range. You know, all those raging hormones -" He began, maintaining his casual tone.

"I am having more important things to focus on right now!" Frustrated, he shook his head in an impatient manner before going on more calmly. "You know, Bunnie has offered to help _moi_ train. She is knowing much about fitness and staying healthy. And she also offered to help me with my quest."

"Really? That's good. Perhaps she has insight into Sally and the others that I lack."

* * *

Two weeks had passed in Knothole after the incident with the well. Even now just what had caused the water to go bad was an unsolved mystery, but things had at least quieted down around the little village.

And that was when certain objects started to turn up missing. First it was some of Rosie's silverware, some of which was sterling silver and therefore valuable. She simply dismissed the incident as having misplaced it somewhere. After all, as she herself admitted, she wasn't as young as she used to be. Maybe her memory was starting to slip. But then that was followed by a bundle of copper wire belonging to Rotor and a silver-handled fur brush of Bunnie's.

No one had noticed anything out of the ordinary, and nobody had any idea what could've possibly happened to the missing property. The rash of strange incidents just served to further ramp up Sonic and Rotor's paranoia. He and Rotor had combed the scene of each apparent crime for any kind of evidence using magnifying glasses, but to no avail. Rotor was pushing hard for security cameras to be installed all throughout Knothole – even inside everybody's huts.

Sally herself was growing increasingly alarmed. She didn't have any answers for the other Knotholers as to what was going on or who was responsible for this new trouble, and that seriously bothered her. She was the one everyone turned to in times of crisis, but she was just as in the dark as they were. She was supposed to be protecting them. Who would steal from them, and why? She'd seriously begun considering Rotor's security camera idea.

Sonic of course had immediately pointed the finger of blame at Knothole's latest arrivals, and had thrown Stormblaze's name into the ring as well. He still wanted to see Jioni be investigated, so Sally figured she'd better go ahead and get on that before Sonic did so himself and ended up starting a fight.

Jioni had proven that he wouldn't shy away from hard work, probably owing to the nature of his background if Sally had to guess. He had volunteered to do chores around Knothole, especially those involving the tending of the vegetable garden and orchards. That was where she found him that afternoon, the orchard.

The growing season was proving to be a promising one. Sally's sensitive nose could pick out the respective scents of ripening apples, pears, peaches, and other fruits in the hot air before she even caught sight of any of the fruit-laden trees. Walking over to where Jioni was clipping the tips of the branches of a sugar maple with a set of small shears, Sally wondered what on Mobius he thought he was doing. He'd actually climbed up into the tree. Apparently finished with the branch, he moved onto the next one. Truthfully, as much as she appreciated nature, gardening had never been an interest of hers'. Still, she'd never heard Rosie say that the maples ever needed cutting of any sort. Sally was reminded of Antoine, whose well-meaning attempts at being handy would sometimes backfire pretty spectacularly. "Uh, Jioni -" she began.

" _Jumbo_ , Sally!" Ceasing his cutting, he looked down at her. "Did you know if you prune a sugar maple when the leaves are fully expanded like this," He gestured at the tree's distinctive dark green leaves, "it doesn't bleed as much as it would if you clipped it during the winter?"

"Uh no, no I didn't. I actually thought you were just hacking away at one of our innocent trees."

Chuckling, he returned to his work. "Sally Alicia Beatrice Victoria Feodore Acorn! I'll have you know that I know perfectly well what I'm doing here. You might say I have a bit of a green thumb."

"Well you certainly seem to have something of an interest in plants."

"When I was small, I couldn't care any less about them. But mother liked taking me out to her greenhouse to show me all the different plants she'd received as gifts throughout the years. There were so many of them, all in different sizes, colors, and shapes, and each one special in its own way. After leaving Mazuri I became very homesick, so I started studying botany as a way to remember my mother. So I suppose plants grew on me, if you'll pardon the pun."

Sally nodded. Maybe having a botanist around could come in handy. Glancing around, she happened to spot a book resting on a canvas chair near Jioni's tree. It was open, and she could make out an image of some kind on one of the pages. She went over for a closer look. It was a realistic rendition of a cluster of wild mushrooms, sketched and shaded in pencil. "Did you draw this?"

"Yes. I've done others. You may look through there if you like."

Picking the sketchbook up, Sally began flipping through it. The drawings in it included various leaves, flowers, and fungi species, as well as outdoor scenes, but primarily consisted of plant life. She halted on a page featuring a sketch of a cluster of four flowers with long, pointed petals blooming at the ends of slender green stalks. "These flowers are gorgeous."

Descending from his perch, Jioni strolled over to see which flowers she was referring to. "Those are night gladiolus. As their name suggests, they only bloom at night. So you really like them?"

"I do."

"Hmm. Clearly you are a woman of good taste." Closing his eyes, he gently shook his head, chuckling. "Ah, foolish me. I've spent all this time droning on about myself. What is it that you like to do in your spare time? Let me guess -" Jioni began to saunter around Sally while pretending to assess her. "The poise and grace of a ballerina, that svelte figure – a dancer, perhaps? Or do you prefer something a little more boisterous?" He stopped in front of her. "I have it - wrestling! How correct am I?"

Laughing in spite of herself, Sally shook her head. "Uh, no. Between running Knothole and the Freedom Fighters and trying to find a way to rescue my father, the last thing I have time for are hobbies."

Jioni let out a faux gasp of horror. "We've got to fix that! Wait, I know!" Taking her hands in his, he entwined their fingers together. "We'll find you a hobby together."

"I appreciate the thought Jioni, but seriously, I can't afford to have any distractions or waste time chasing after frivolous pursuits."

His playful affect turned serious. "Work and responsibilities are important, I agree, but that's not all there is to life. I'm not asking you to spurn your duties or role as leader, but I don't want to see you stress yourself out because you overwork yourself either. You don't need to have multiple hobbies. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to discover how much pleasure even having a single one can bring."

"Well…"

"Just give my words a little thought. Please?"

Honestly, between the winning smile he was giving her and those shocking blue eyes of his, Sally was finding it hard to say no. "Fine, you win!" She exclaimed, huffing in pretend aggravation but good-naturedly smiling herself now. "I'll sleep on it."

"Most excellent! We can begin our search tomorrow then."

Becoming acutely aware of just how close he was to her just then and the warmth of his hands around her own, Sally cleared her throat and detached herself from his grasp. "Um, yes, let's do that."

She was sure he was aware of her sudden case of nerves, but to his credit he simply gave her a soft smile. "I suppose I'd better return to work then. Shall I see you for our next lesson later tonight?"

"Of course. I'll let you get to it then…" Sally turned to go, but stopped. She just remembered there'd been a particular reason as to why she'd sought Jioni out in the first place. "Oh, Jioni, would you happen to have any idea about what might've happened to the well?"

His black and white tail slowly swished back and forth as he considered her question. "I'm afraid not. I've heard of certain species of algae or bacteria changing the color of water in creeks and lakes and killing the fish there, but I don't think I've ever heard of it happening with a well before."

She knew it. "I see. Well, just thought I'd ask." She made to leave again.

"Sally?" When she stopped again to see what he wanted, he spoke. "If I can do anything to help you and the others, then know I will. I know there've been some unsettling… incidents around here as of late."

"Thank you, Jioni. I really appreciate that." Sally nodded gratefully at him before finally departing. Alone with her thoughts, she tried to envision Jioni betraying his people and country in order to serve Robotnik like Sonic and Rotor had suggested. No, she just couldn't see that. There wasn't a single mean bone in his body.

* * *

Meanwhile, Antoine found himself standing in a field near the Great Forest. He had no idea what Stormblaze could possibly have in store for him, but was eager to see what it was. He was ready to move onto the next phase of his training.

The "something new" turned out to be a length of rope tied to a heavy-duty tire that was nearly as big as he himself was. The objective was for him to haul the tire along until Stormblaze told him to stop. Needless to say, Antoine wasn't exactly feeling very enthusiastic.

"How will pulling around a tire help me?!"

"Other than improving your strength and endurance? Oh, it'll pay off in other ways that I believe you'll really like." Stormblaze enigmatically replied.

Swallowing his complaints, Antoine silently accepted this latest task. If Stormblaze said it was going to help him, then he needed to trust in him. But he couldn't help but feel more like a pack animal than a warrior in training. Stormblaze walked alongside him, periodically giving out encouragement or pointers. He'd been careful to choose a location where the earth was bare and there wouldn't be anything like brambles or brush to impede Antoine. The tall trees he would be passing under also conceal them from any enemy drones or the like if they happened to be flying overhead. Though the skies were overcast and the sun only sporadically peeped out from behind the clouds, Antoine quickly grew fatigued. Pulling a tire that outweighed him by a good several pounds was not easy, and it was proving increasingly difficult to maintain a good grip on the rope with sweaty paw pads. Eventually he chose to remove his tunic, finding that he was overheating in it due to the stifling temperature and physical exertion.

Finally, Antoine couldn't take anymore. Staggering forward a few more steps, he collapsed heavily into the dirt and lay there unmoving. "I cannot do this." He managed to gasp out.

Stormblaze came to stand over him. "Come now, I thought you canines were legendary for your stamina."

Antoine didn't say anything.

"What if that was another Freedom Fighter instead of a tire and SWATBots were after you both?"

"Ha." There was a sneer in Antoine's voice as he struggled to become upright once more. "For your information, I have been in such situations before… Twice in fact."

"Oh? When?"

"Remember Carnia, when you were getting shot? Bandit and I had to drag you to safety. And you are being much bigger and heavier then this stupid tire!" He gestured angrily to the tire lying on its side behind him.

"I'm afraid I still don't have a very good memory of everything that happened then." Stormblaze admitted. He brought up his hands in a defensive fashion when Antoine fixed him with a suspicious stare. "Really, it's the truth! Anyways, what is the other occasion you are referencing?"

Antoine looked away. "Let's just finish this."

Catching the hint, Stormblaze let the matter drop. He clapped his hands and started to jog ahead. "Right, lift those legs and get a move on, my lad!"

Antoine groaned, but took up the rope once more and followed after him.

* * *

After Stormblaze finally gave Antoine permission to stop, he'd dropped the rope in the dust and didn't look back. Not really wanting to retire to Knothole just yet, the duo decided to return to Tanforan Falls. Antoine stretched out on a blanket next to the basin and was strongly considering taking his nap there.

Stormblaze was returning from having just finished stashing the tire out of sight in a thicket close by ("It was hard enough finding this thing. I'm not going to leave it out for any random person to just take.") and plopped down by Antoine. "You know, I've been working on my Sonic impersonation, and I want you to tell me what you think of it."

As an intrigued Antoine watched, Stormblaze brought a closed hand up to his mouth, cleared his throat, and then... "Chili dog!" He exclaimed in a flatly-accented, squeaky voice.

Antoine's reaction was instantaneous. He rolled over onto his back, clutching his midsection as he laughed uproariously.

"I take it my impression meets with approval?" Stormblaze asked, laughing along with him.

"Y-you may not be sounding much like him, but you are getting his mannerisms correct!" When he was finally able to get himself under control again, though his eyes were watering from having laughed so hard, he said, "Oh, speaking of which, did you know he is going around searching for suspects?" Previously, Antoine had related the story of the recent thefts in Knothole to Stormblaze.

"Sonic is? Really? Oh that's rich!"

Antoine nodded. "So if he is coming around here and asking you lots of questions that is what he is trying to do."

"Who else has he subjected to these interrogations?"

"As far as I am knowing, no one yet."

Thoughtfully Stormblaze clicked his tongue. "Things do not look good for either the Lemurians or myself. We are the strangers here. We have guilt written all over us. Uh, that is to say that we look like very good suspects."

Antoine sprang to his feet. "But you are no thief!" Let someone dare accuse Stormblaze! Neither did he want the Lemurians to be guilty. "I wish you and I could find this thief ourselves." Yes, he and Stormblaze solving this mystery together while the kingdom's so-called awesome hero was preoccupied chasing his tail made for a very satisfying mental image indeed, so much so that it brought a delighted smirk to his lips. "I could question everyone while you stand by and see if they are being honest or not!"

Stormblaze considered him with a raised eyebrow. "Do you want to catch this thief in order to stop him or her from terrorizing the village, or to make yourself look good?"

The question genuinely startled Antoine. " _Pas_ , that is not it at all. I am just wishing to shut Sonic up because I am tired of him accusing everybody he dislikes of being the thief. If it was _moi_ running around acting that way, I would be treated like the worst person in the world. And I certainly do not want this person running free causing trouble either."

"Ah. I sincerely apologize then. I understand your frustration. It's just that for a second there it seemed like you had less than pure motives, what with the emotions you were putting off and the expression on your face."

As if summoned by their chat, Antoine's ears suddenly picked up the sound of the characteristic _whir_ which usually accompanied Sonic's running. This was closely followed by the appearance of Sonic himself. He halted on the other side of the basin, eying them both warily.

' _Speak of the devil and he shall appear.'_ Antoine peevishly thought.

Sonic spoke first. "Not interrupting anything, am I?" But he had no genuine concern about having interrupted them – his tone was accusatory and snide.

"Other than a perfectly fine day, no." Stormblaze returned dryly.

Sonic honed in on him like a hungry gryphon. Zooming up to Stormblaze, he jabbed a finger at him. "Where were you yesterday evening?"

"Taking a walk in the forest."

"You got somebody to vouch for you?"

"No. It was quite late by then, so Antoine was most likely at home asleep."

The grin on Sonic's face just then was the very essence of smugness. "So you can't prove you were doing what you say you were for certain." It was a statement, not a question.

Blowing air though his nose, Stormblaze silently prayed for the Source to grant him patience. He knew his irritation was visible. He needed to remain calm for Antoine's sake, as Sonic's arrival had sparked in him an idea. Perhaps his presence would be helpful in bolstering Antoine's confidence so that he could finally speak to Sonic.

Antoine jumped into the exchange. "Sonic, why would Stormblaze be doing any of that?"

"Why don't you ask your buddy here that? Or should I say the suspect?"

"I cannot supply a motive for a crime I have not committed." Calmly replied Stormblaze.

"Hmph. So you say. I wonder how you'd do under a _real_ interrogation?"

"You mean you lot have a real interrogator stashed away somewhere?"

Sonic flashed him a defensive glare. "You tryin' to make fun of me?"

"I merely find it curious that Knothole's chief interrogator is a fifteen-year old boy." Stormblaze smoothly returned. "The last time I checked, an interrogator is an adult who has received the proper training and experience in how to speak with and observe suspects."

"Training schmaining! I can get stuff done way faster and catch this guy before he causes some real damage! Now, I don't know if you're the one behind all this -" Again he pointed at Stormblaze, "or if it's that lemur, but you better believe I'll be watching _you_."

Stormblaze chose not to respond. His deadpan expression said it all. Sensing Antoine's growing anger with their uninvited guest, he went over to the scowling coydog and gently nudged his shoulder. "Antoine, isn't there something you wish to say to Sonic?"

Perplexed, Antoine glanced up at him before turning his sights onto Sonic again and grinning slyly. "Sonic, why are you such a -"

"The _other_ thing you were telling me about? Remember?" Stormblaze cut him off, rightly figuring that Antoine was prepping an insult. He hoped Antoine would get the message.

"Oh." Antoine's face turned as sour as expired milk. " _That_ thing."

His brow crinkling in irritation, Sonic looked between them. "What are you two fruitcakes even goin' on about? Look, unlike you guys, I actually got an important job back in Knothole to do. I know you're not familiar with that, since all you do is screw around with each other in the woods all day."

"Ugh." Plodding towards Sonic, Antoine stopped a few feet from him with flattened ears. "I am merely wishing to tell you that I am sorry for my past behavior." He droned through gritted teeth. "I -"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hang on!" Sonic gestured for a time-out before pointing at Antoine. "You. Antsy. Are apologizing to me?"

Antoine nodded, ears perking up a little in his uncertainty.

Sonic studied him for a moment. Then a glimmer of mischief entered into his brown eyes. "Well now, if you're gonna apologize to someone, then ya gotta do it right! Come here, your ol' pal the Blue Blur'll let ya in on the secret." Going up to Antoine, he threw a deceptively friendly arm around the now baffled canine's shoulders. "If you _really_ wanna make things up to me, go back to Knothole and get everybody together, then announce to them that Sonic Hedgehog is the coolest dude ever and how much you love drinking toilet water. Like you drink that stuff everyday straight from the source. Then you can have my chores for a month. Do all that and we can be cool! Hey, I might even let you come over one night and make me chili dogs!" By that point he was doubled over with laughter.

Antoine didn't share in his amusement. The deeply frustrated expression on his face left Stormblaze inwardly seething. His own patience with Sonic had just officially run out. "You know hedgehog," He started towards Sonic, drawing his attention, "having observed your performance during the paintball game, it occurs to me just how truly remarkable your speed is…" With every level word he intruded further and further into Sonic's personal space as he circled him.

"Yeah?" Sonic was uncharacteristically uneasy as he tried following Stormblaze's movements, while at the same time stepping back so as not to be knocked down by the unicorn's bulk. Every time he moved away though, Stormblaze would simply come closer.

"… and what a complete and utter waste such a gift is on an ignorant buffoon like yourself!" Stormblaze bellowed right in Sonic's face.

Startled, Sonic jumped back – and with a loud splash, fell right into the water as Stormblaze and an astonished Antoine looked on.

Fortunately for Sonic, the pool wasn't so deep that he couldn't stand up in it. In spite of the heat of the day, he wrapped his arms around himself as he stood there with hunched shoulders. Looking up, the wet, bedraggled hedgehog's eyes bored into Stormblaze's. If looks could kill, then Stormblaze would have been reduced to a pile of cinders right then and there. "You did that on purpose!"

"Hmm. Perhaps."

"You're gonna pay for this!"

"Oh Sonic." Throwing his head back, Stormblaze raised the back of his hand to his forehead in a melodramatic manner. "You know, it pains me to think that we may never be friends. Whatever shall I do with my life?"

Sonic waded back to land, wearing a grimace of complete displeasure the entire time. As soon as his feet touched dry ground though, he advanced on Stormblaze looking like he was ready to start throwing punches. "I'm gonna wipe that stupid smile right off your ugly mug!"

His path was suddenly barred by Antoine, who stood in between him and Stormblaze, the fur on the nape of his neck bristling and his lip lifted to slightly show his fangs. " _Sonic_. Leave now before this is getting out of control."

"Yeah, defend your dumb boyfriend!" Seeing Stormblaze move to stand by Antoine's side only further incensed Sonic. "So it's two against one, huh? Figures!" He spat before squaring his shoulders the way he always did before a fight. "Come on then, you weirdoes!"

A livid growl working its way out of his throat, Antoine started to advance on Sonic, but Stormblaze blocked his way.

Stormblaze laughed as he regarded Sonic. "Oh, you do not wish to fight me, little one. Trust me on this. No, it will be you and him." He indicated Antoine. "In any other situation I would push for you both to talk out your differences, but not in this case. Some creatures can be reasoned with, but clearly you are the sort who respects only force. So I believe the two of you should fight it out."

Sonic hadn't expected to hear that, but his determination and anger quickly resurfaced. "Okay. I'm not scared. We can do this right now!"

"Fine!" Antoine growled and tried to move past Stormblaze, but again was stopped.

"Wait. We must first choose a neutral territory so that neither of you will have an advantage over the other." Stormblaze proclaimed. "That is where the fight shall be held."

"You find a place and name the time, and I'll be there. You can bet on that!" Sonic vowed before jetting off into the forest.

When he had gone, Stormblaze turned to Antoine. "Listen. I will not be upset in the off-chance that you lose against him, but I must tell you one thing."

Antoine glanced at him questioningly.

"I want you to beat the stuffing out of him."

 **Author's notes:** I'm back! Hopefully I can get more of my fics updated soon. BTW, something important to note here is that I've decided to tweak Sonic and Sally's ages, so they're fifteen now as opposed to sixteen.


End file.
